II 




Mi 




m 





Book jAll 



Copyright N". 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSm 



THE 
HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



THE HISTORY 
OF PENNSYLVANIA 



BY 

CHARLEvS MORRIS 

AUTHOR OF " HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES," HISTORICAL TALES, 
"HOME LIFE IN ALL LANDS," ETC. 



WITH NINETY-THREE ILLUSTRATIONS 




PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON 
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 






COPYRIGHT, 1912, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 



COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 



PRINTED BY J, B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 

AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS 

PHILADELPHIA, U.S.A. 



'CI.A8 4 79 4 4 



PREFACE 

The work here presented to readers and students 
was i^repared to meet the demands of any course of 
study embracing the history of the State of Pennsyl- 
vania, and will be found a full and convenient manual 
for those who desire to inform themselves concerning 
the series of events constituting this history. The 
author has endeavored to include all that is most 
valuable and interesting in the several eras of 
growth and development, from the original settle- 
ment to the present time. It has been his aim to 
present the subject in a form calculated to be at once 
pleasing and instructive, alike to student and general 
reader, while making his work sufficiently copious for 
the needs of all. He feels assured that the plan of 
the work is one that will appeal to all who use it, 
it being divided into periods and the events of each 
period consecutively given, thus avoiding the con- 
fusion likely to result when the chronological se- 
quence of events is disturbed in their presentation. 



CONTENTS, 



PART I 

The Era of Settlement 

1. — The Dutch and Swedes on the Delaware 1 

2. — Wilham Penn and the Quakers 5 

3.— The Later Story of Wilham Penn 19 

4. — The Settlers of Pennsylvania 24 

Questions for Examination 32 

PART II 

The Early History of Pennsylvania 

1. — From Penn's First to his Second Visit 33 

2. — From Penn's Second Visit to his Death 39 

3. — The Administration of Governor Keith 46 

4. — Governor Gordon's Administration 53 

6. — The Rule of Logan and Thomas 57 

Questions for Examination 66 

PART III 

War with the French and Indians 

1. — Governor Hamilton's Administration 67 

2. — Governor Morris's Administration 75 

3. — Governor Denny and the End of the War. . . 81 

4. — The Pontiac Conspiracy 87 

5. — Settling the Boundaries of Pennsylvania 96 

Questions for Examination 107 

PART IV 

Pennsylvania in the Revolution 

1.— Events that led to the Revolution 108 

2. — From Rebellion to Independence 113 

3. — The British Invade Pennsylvania 119 

4. — Conditions in Colonial Times 135 

Questions for Examination 160 

vii 



viii CONTENTS. 

PART V 

From the Revolution to the Close of the Century 

1. — Affairs after the Revolution 161 

2. — Philadelphia the National Capital 171 

3.— The Whisky War. 176 

4. — Centres of Population 182 

Questions for Examination 194 

PART VI 
Thirty Years of War and Peace 

1. — The First Decade of the Nineteenth Century 195 

2.— The Second War with Great Britain 203 

3. — Development of the State 210 

Questions for Examination 219 

PART VII 

An Era of Development 

1.— From the Anti-Masonic Party to the Constitution of 1838 220 

2.— A Period of Debt and Disorder 230 

3.— Anti-Slavery and the Clouds of War 239 

Questions for Examination 248 

PART VIII 
Pennsylvania in the Civil War 

1.— The Opening of Hostilities 249 

2.— Pennsylvania in 1862 255 

3.— The Battle Field of Gettysburg 258 

4. — Later Events In and After the War 270 

Questions for Examination 275 

PART IX. 

Recent History of the State 

1.— An Era of Labor Troubles 276 

2.— The Decade from 1880 to 1890 282 

3.— The Closing Decade of the Century 289 

4. — Pennsylvania in the Twentieth Century 297 

Questions for Examination 313 



THE HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



PART I. 
THE ERA OF SETTLEMENT. 



1. THE DUTCH AND SWEDES ON THE DELAWARE. 

The Indians of Pennsylvania. — Three hundred years 
ago the region now known as Pennsylvania had never 
felt the tread of a white man 's foot. White settlers 
had come to other parts of the country, but here 
dwelt only the red men, those natives of the land 
whom we call Indians. Chief among these were 
those known as Delawares, from the river on which 
they dwelt, but who called themselves the Lenni- 
Lenapes. The tribe of the Delawares was divided 
into three sections, or sub-tribes, the Minsi, or 
Minisink, the Unami, and the Unalachtigo, which 
had respectively for totems the wolf, the turtle, and 
the turkey. The Unami, or Turtle, section dwelt on 
the site of Philadelphia. Other tribes, separate 
from the Delawares, were the Susquehannocks, the 
Nanticokes, and the Eries, who lived farther west. 

The Peaceful Delawares. — The white settlers of 
Pennsylvania had most to do with the Delawares, 
who, by good fortune, were a peaceful people. They 
had been conquered by the warlike Iroquois of New 
York and forced by therh to keep peace with all the 
tribes. Instead of making war they were to till the 
soil as women did, and to them was given the care 
of ^'tbe great belt of peace.'' At a later date 

1 



THE ERA OF SETTLEMENT 



another tribe, called the Shawnees, came to Penn- 
sylvania, a few of them at first, but eventually there 
were many of them in the province. Such were the 
native tribes found by William Penn and his Quaker 
friends when they crossed the ocean to America. 

Visitors before the 
Quakers. — The Quak- 
ers were not the first 
white men to reach 
Pennsylvania. Others 
were there before 
them. W h e n w e 
speak of how this 
province was settled 
we are apt to think 
first of William 
Penn, but long before 
he came many set- 
tlers had reached this 
locality. The history 
of these early settlers 
must be told before 
we speak of Penn. 
There were Swedes, 
Dutch, and English, 
about each of whom there is something to tell. 

The first man to sail up the Delaware was a Dutch 
captain named Hendrickson, who in 1616 went up 
this fine river as far as the mouth of the Schuylkill. 
He was much pleased with what he saw there, for he 
had found a beautiful land, with a great forest full 
of deer, turkeys and partridges, and with vines 




THE DUTCH AND SWEDES ON THE DELAWARE 3 

clambering up the trees. There was also a Captain 
Mey, from whom Cape May got its name, who in 
1623 sailed up the river and built a fort at a point 
four miles below the site of Philadelpliia. This he 
named Fort Nassau. In 1630 a small party of Dutch 
settled near the lower end of Delaware. But a 
foolish quarrel soon put an end to their settlement. 
They had painted the arms of Holland on a piece 
of tin and hung it up on a tree. An Indian took it 
down to make a tobacco pipe, and for this he was 
killed, either by the Dutch or by the members of 
his tribe in consequence of the angry protests of 
the settlers, to whom the act of the ignorant native, 
who knew nothing about the arms of Holland, 
seemed an insult to their couutry. The death of the 
Indian was quickly avenged by his friends, who at- 
tacked the settlement and killed every person in it. 
Thus ended in crime and blood the first settlement 
on the Delaware. 

The Coming of the Swedes.— It was not long before 
new settlers came. In 1637 two small vessels set sail 
from Sweden, loaded with Swedes and Finns, who 
sought a new home on the banks of the South Eiver— 
as the Dutch called the Delaware. They were led by 
Peter Minuit, a Dutchman, who knew the country 
well, for he had been governor of the Dutch settle- 
ment of New Amsterdam. He bought from the In- 
dians all the land on the west shore of the Delaware 
as far up as the mouth of the iSchuylkill, built a fort 
where Wihnington now stands, and named it Fort 
Christina, in honor of the Queen of Sweden. 
A new governor, named Hollender, came in 1641, 



4: THE ERA OF SETTLEMEXT 

and bought from the Indians a large tract of land 
along the river, and in 1643 there came a third 
governor, named Johan Printz, who built himself 
a fine mansion and a strong fort on Tinicum Island, 
a few miles below Philadelphia, and lived there in 
much style. The Swedes called their colony Xew 
Sweden and claimed all the land on the west side 
of the Delaware from Cape Henlopen to Trenton 
Falls. They also claimed the east side from Cape 
May to Mantua Creek, nearly opposite Chester. 
They traded for furs with the Indians, planted 
wheat, rye, and tobacco, and built forts for defence. 

The End of New Sweden.— By 1650 the Swedes had 
a thriving settlement. Much land was cleared and 
planted, they had plenty of fruit. gTain, and cattle, 
and built a mill on Cobb's Creek, which was kept 
busy grinding their grain. But the Dutch of Xew 
Amsterdam had been first on the ground, had built 
forts and bought land from the Indians, and though 
they had not settled the country they did not like to 
see the way the Swedish colony was growing. So they 
collected a little fleet '\vith an army of about six 
hundred men and in Augnist, 1655, set sail for South 
Eiver. This was not a very large army, but the 
Swedes, not being strong enough to fight, gave up to 
the Dutch without firing a shot or striking a blow. 
They were left on their farms under the rule of Hol- 
land and the colony of Xew iSweden came to an end. 

Relics of New Sweden. — The settlements of the 
iSwedes lay along the west side of the river from 
Xew Castle, in Delaware, to the site of Philadelphia. 
They had built a church on Tinicum Island in 1646, 



WILLIAM PEXX AND THE QUAKERS 5 

and a clmrcli was built about 1669 at Wicaco in what 
is now southern Philadelphia. This was rebuilt in 
later years, and still stands, known as the Gloria 
Dei, or Old Swedes Church. They had a small town 
at Upland — now Chester — and here their first courts 
were held, the first jury sat, and the first highway 
was built. 

The English Claim. — Xew changes were soon to 
come, for the English also claimed this region. In 
1664 an English fleet appeared before New Amster- 
dam, the Dutch settlement on Manhattan Island, took 
it without firing a gun, and named it Xew York. 
Then they sent two ships to the Delaware and took 
the settlement there also, but not until some Dutch 
soldiers had been skilled and wounded. This was 
the first bloodshed in all the quarrels of the whites 
in that region. The Swedes were quite willing to 
come imder English rule, and so were the Dutch, for 
they were well treated by their new masters, their 
farms left in their hands, and all their officers left in 
their posts. There were not many of them, probably 
only a few hundred in all, and they were widely scat- 
tered along the river. New Castle was the centre of 
government and Upland the place of next impor- 
tance. Philadelphia was still only a region of farms. 

2. WILLIAM PEXX AXD THE QUAIvERS. 
New Religious Sects. — At the time when the English 
colonies in America were being settled many new 
ideas had risen in Europe on the subject of religion. 
The common people had begun to think very freely 
on this subject and a number of new sects were 



6 THE ERA OF SETTLEMENT 

formed. Everywhere there were state religions, kept 
up by the governments, and by these the members 
of the new sects were often badly treated, but no 
treatment was severe enough to make them give up 
their beliefs. Many of them were put in prison — 
and the prisons of those times were horrible places, 
dens of filth and sickness — but despite this the new 
sects continued to grow. Those who suffered on 
earth were sure that they would be rewarded in 
heaven. 

George Fox and His Doctrine. — Among the new sects 
was one founded in 1648 by a poor shoemaker named 
George Fox, and preached by him throughout Eng- 
land at such times as he was out of prison. Great 
numbers came to hear him and soon there were 
thousands of converts to his doctrine. He did not 
believe in fighting, or in taking oaths, or that one 
man was better than another, or in show and cere- 
mony of any kind, or in paying to support the state 
religion. His followers would not take off their hats 
before any man, even before the king, or speak of 
any man as ^'you,'' for they thought this was a 
sign of pride. With them every man was ''thou'' 
or ''thee." 

The Friends or Quakers. — These people called them- 
selves "Friends," or "Children of Light," for they 
held that all truth came to them through the "inner 
light," not through men's teachings. God spoke 
to their hearts, they said, and in so doing was their 
guide. They would tremble or quake when they felt 
that the inner light had come to them, and from this 
they were soon spoken of as "Quakers." This title 



WILLIAM PENN AND THE QUAKERS 7 

was given them in derision, but it came to be that 
by which they were everywhere known. They are 
still Friends among themselves, but Quakers to the 
world at large. 

How the Quakers Were Treated. — Of all the sects 
the Quakers were treated the worst. The prisons 
were crowded with them and hundreds of them died 
in +]ies'> dreadful places. Most of them were poor; 




A Fkiends' Meeting. 



they would not resist the officers of the law; if a 
prison door were thrown open they would not walk 
out ; but they would not obey any law that interfered 
with their religion, or pay to help support the state 
religion, and the government found them a difficult 
people to deal with. It is well that you should know 
something about the history and opinions of the 
Quakers, for they are the people to whom we owe 
the State of Pennsylvania. 



8 THE ERA OF SETTLEMENT 

William Penn. — There were certain persons of im- 
portance among the Quakers, and chief among these 
was a man named William Penn. He was the son of 
an admiral in the British army, Sir William Penn, 
who had lent money to the king and had much power 
at the king's court. The young man was handsome, 
manly, and well educated, and like his father was a 
friend of the king; also of his brother, the Duke of 
York, to whom King Charles had given all the land 
along the Hudson and the Delaware rivers, in 
America. But young Penn was a man of strong 
mind. He had heard a Quaker preacher named 
Thom^as Lee and was soon full of the new ideas, 
which he talked about at home and abroad. His 
father was so angry that he turned his Quaker son 
out of the house and the law officers soon put him in 
prison. But nothing could stop him; he preached, 
he wrote, he was in and out of prison; he taught 
Quakerism in Germany, and next to George Fox he 
was the leading Quaker in Europe. 

A Refuge in America. — There was only one place 
to which the ill-treated members of the new sects 
could look for peace and safety. This was in 
America. Many years before, the Pilgrims and Puri- 
tans of England had found homes in New England, 
where there was no one to disturb them. Later on 
the Catholics had come for safety to Maryland. 
And now, William Penn began to look across the sea 
to find a place of refuge for his friends and fellow- 
sufferers. 

Early Quakers in America. — Some Quakers had 
already made their way to New England, but the 



WILLIAM PENN AND THE QUAKERS 9 

Puritans would not have them there. Some they 
hanged and others they banished, and in this cruel 
way got rid of ''the troublesome new-comers.'^ 
Later on a number came to New Jersey, where they 
soon became so numerous that Penn took part with 
other Quakers in the purchase of that province. 
Some of these settlers crossed the Delaware to its 
western side. Thus when Penn reached America he 
found Quakers in his new province. 

The Indian Country. — The time was now close at 
hand for the Quaker settlement of Pennsylvania. 
Some of the New Jersey settlers wrote to William 
Penn and told him that "the Indian country on the 
west side of the Delaware is most beautiful to look 
upon, and only wanteth a wise people to render it, 
like ancient Canaan, ' the glory of the earth. ' ' ' Penn 
wanted a home for his Quaker brethren where they 
would be quite free to worship God in their own 
way. Here was the land waiting for him. It had 
as yet only a few hundred settlers, Swedes, Dutch, 
and English. It might be made a great Quaker com- 
monwealth. 

Penn's Grant of Land. — Admiral Penn was now 
dead and William had become the heir of his estate. 
The admiral had loaned King Charles II. sixteen 
thousand pounds, a sum which the king, who spent all 
the money he could get, was not likely soon to pay 
back. In 1680 William Penn asked King Charles to 
grant him a tract of land in America in payment of 
this debt. This he found the king quite willing to 
do. It was an easy way to get out of debt by giving 
awav land that belon^red to the Indians. At the same 



10 THE ERA OF SETTLEMENT 

time it would help him to get rid of those obstinate 
Quakers who kept his law officers so busy. 
So he readily gave Penn the land asked for, and by 
the 4th of March, 1681, the charter to the new prov- 
ince was drawn up and ready to be signed. Penn 
himself wrote much of it, partly copying from the 
charter by which Maryland was granted to Lord 
Baltimore, 

Extent and Name of the New Province. — The king 
proposed to give Penn a tract of land between Mary- 
land on the south and New York on the north; ex- 
tending northward from the 40tli to the 43d degree 
of latitude, and five degrees in longitude from the 
Delaware westward. But what was then thought to 
be the 40tli parallel of latitude did not prove to be so, 
and tills mistake made much trouble in later years, 
since disputes arose as to the border line between 
Pennsylvania and Maryland. This trouble began 
at once, but its story must be told later on. As for 
the name of the new colony, Penn proposed to call 
it New Wales. When this name was rejected he- 
proposed Sylvania, or ^ ^ Woodland. ' ' To this 
'^ Penn " was added by those who drew up the char- 
ter. The new proprietor did not like this; it was 
too much like worldly pride for his Quaker ideas; 
but the king would not strike it out, and so the name 
stood as Pennsylvania, or ^'Penn's Woodland. '^ 

Markham Takes Possession. — As may be imagined, 
the Quakers of England were greatly pleased by 
this transaction. The charter was barely signed be- 
fore numbers of them prepared to cross the ocean to 
this new land of refuge. Penn at once sent out his 



WILLIAM PENN AND THE QUAKERS 



11 



cousin, Colonel William Markliam, to take possession 
and act as his deputy. He reached the Delaware 
about July 1, 1681, landing at the Swedish village of 
Upland. There he visited some of the Indian chiefs 
and purchased from them a considerable tract of 
land, being part of what is now Bucks County. For 
this he gave the Indians a large variety of goods, 
such as wampum, guns, blankets, pipes, and many 
-other things. The Indians were quite satisfied with 




is-fcr^o ken ^ f^Lo r 



4 









William Penn's Seal and Signature to the Pennsylvania Charter 
WITH Signatures of the Witnesses. 

the sale. They had plenty of land but little of these 
goods, and they were very willing to exchange part 
of their land for these useful articles. 

Philadelphia Laid Out.— During that year three 
ships loaded with settlers came up the Delaware. 
Commissioners were also sent over to select a suit- 
able place for the large town which Penn proposed to 
build. They were told to examine Upland, but they 
chose for the new town a place farther north, where 



12 THE ERA OF SETTLEMENT 

the Delaware ran close to a liigli bank, and another 
river, called Schuylkill by the Dutch, ran into it. 
Here was to be the city named by Penn Philadelphia, 
a word which means ^ ' Brotherly Love. ' ' As laid out, 
it was two miles long, from the Delaware to the 
Schuylkill, and one mile wide, from Vine Street to 
Cedar (now South) Street. As is well known, the 
city many years ago extended beyond these narrow 
limits. 

The Good Ship Welcome.— On the 27th of October, 
1682, the good ship Welcome, with William Penn 
and about seventy emigrants on board, came to 
anchor in front of New Castle, a settlement of the 
Dutch and Swedes in what is now Delaware. About 
one hundred passengers had set sail, but thirty had 
died of smallpox on the voyage and been buried at 
sea. Two days later Upland was reached. Penn 
is said to have changed the name of this place to 
Chester at the suggestion of his friend Pearson, who 
liad come from Chester, England. 

Penn Goes to Philadelphia. — William Penn was very 
anxious to see the place where his new city had 
iDeen laid out, and the story is told that he went up 
ihe river from Upland in an open boat in early 
November. Many settlers were there already, and 
as he passed up by the city front he could see the 
cave dwellings which had been dug in the river bank. 
Here excavations were made and over them were 
built roofs of split trees, branches, and twigs, the 
whole usually covered with sods. The chimneys were 
made of stones, clay, and river grass. In these cave 
dwellings lived many of the settlers in some small 



WILLIAM PENN AND THE QUAKERS 13. 

degree of comfort while their houses were being 
built, and in one of them, at the foot of Sassafras 
(now Eace) Street, was born John Key, the first 
English child born in Pennsylvania. Penn made the 
child a present of a city lot. 

Penn inspected the site of his new town^ still cov- 
ered with woodland, with much pleasure. Its streets 
were so far laid out only on paper, but he could see 
how well nature had fitted the site for a great city. 
His plan was to have every house built in the middle 
of a large plot, ^^so that there may be grounds on 
either side for gardens or orchards or fields, that it 
may be a green country town that will never be 
burned and always wholesome." There is little 
trace of this fine plan in the city to-day. 

Most of the early houses were of wood, but some 
were built of stone and had balconies and porches. 
The scene was a very busy one as the new town grew 
in size, the women helping the men in their building 
work, even sawing wood and carrying mortar. 

Arrival of Settlers. — During 1682 more than two 
thousand settlers arrived, most of them landing at 
Chester and Philadelphia. They had suffered on the 
long voyage, but they had brought much property 
with them from England — furniture, tools, building 
materials, and provisions — and were ready to begin 
housekeeping at once. There was plenty to eat, for 
fish, deer, turkeys, ducks and other wild fowl were 
supplied at low rates by the Indians, who got along 
very well with these quiet, peace-loving people. 

Penn and the Indians. — As for the Indians, we 
may be sure they were eager to see the great William; 



14 



THE ERA OF SETTLEMENT 



Penn, of whom much had been told them. He was 
quite as glad to see them, with their alert forms and 
dignified faces. He walked about with them, sat in 
their wigwams and ate of their roasted hominy. And 
when they began to show how they could jump, it is 
said that^he surprised them by outjumping the best 
of them. Penn was then less than forty years of 
age and no doubt very active and agile. 




The TBEAxr Elm and Fairman's Mansion. 

The Treaty with the Indians. — Xot much can be said 
of the famous treaty with the Indians, though a pict- 
ure of this has been made, with Penn in the centre and 
the Indians sitting all around. Very likely there was 
such a treaty, and it may have taken place under the 
elm tree at Kensington, where a treaty monument 
now stands. The elm tree blew down long ago and 



WILLIAM PENN AND THE QUAKERS 15 

only the monument marks the spot. No record was 
kept of this famous treaty and we do not know just 
what took place. But many years afterwards some 
of the Indians said : 

*^We shall never forget the coimsel that William 
Penn gave us; though we cannot write, like the 
English, yet we can keep in memory what was said 
in our councils.'' Not while Penn lived was a drop 
of Quaker blood shed by an Indian, and when he 
died his red admirers showed great grief at the loss 
of ^Hhe great and good Onas," their best friend 
among the white men. 

The Grant of Delaware. — Penn was wise enough to 
see that it would be best to have his province extend 
to the ocean, and for this purpose the Duke of 
York gave him the territory now forming the State 
of Delaware. He had laid out three counties — Phila- 
delphia, Bucks, and Chester^ — and there were three 
counties in Delaware which for twenty years formed 
part of Pennsylvania. Afterwards Delaware got a 
legislature of its own, but it remained under the 
governor of Pennsylvania until the Eevolution. 
Over all his grand domain William Penn had almost 
princely control, his charter giving him much more 
power than King Charles had kept for himself. 
For this royal domain all he had to pay the king, 
aside from the sixteen thousand pounds of debt, 
was two beaver skins a year and one-fifth of all the 
gold and silver he should find. As these metals 
were not found, the beaver skins covered the whole 
rent. Penn, however, bought from the Indians all 
the land he used, and he gave the Swedes who had 



16 THE ERA OF SETTLEMENT 

farms on the site of Pliiladelpliia as mucli good land 
elsewhere, for he was too honest to think that the 
king had any right to give away what did not belong 
to him, its true owners being the Indians. 

The First Assembly. — Penn had called a meeting 
of representatives of the people, to assemble at 
Chester on December 6. They did not all come, for 
many of them were too busy building and farming, 
but about forty came together on the day fixed. To 
this Assembly Penn offered a code of laws which he 
had drawn up before leaving England. There was to 
be complete religious liberty, though non-believers 
in Christ could not vote or hold office. Only property- 
holders could vote ; but this excluded only servants 
and vagrants, since all others had property. All 
persons were forbidden to sell strong liquors to the 
Indians. The death penalty was limited to those 
guilty of murder and treason. Duelling was pro- 
hibited and the drunkard could be fined. 

Such was the ^' Great Law.'^ It had much else in 
it, but these were its leading features. It formed the 
basis of the government of Pennsylvania during the 
colonial period. It was great in giving the people 
full religious liberty, which did not then exist in 
Europe. It also cut down the penalty of death to 
murder and treason. At that time there were many 
small crimes in England for which people could be 
hanged, and the laws everywhere were very severe. 
In this way William Penn proved himself a liberal 
and far-seeing man. 

The Plan of Philadelphia.— Willian Penn did much 
more than to make laws for his new province. He 



WILLIAM PENN AND THE QUAKERS 17 

wished to have a fine and handsome city and laid out 
Philadelphia with streets crossing each other at 
right angles and much wider than the streets of the 
cities of England. Those that ran east and west 
were given the names of trees in the forest around, 
as Chestnut, Walnut, Pine, etc. Those running north 
and south were known by numbers. There were to 
be a High Street passing through the centre from 
river to river, and a Broad Street through the centre 
north and south. Each of these was to be one hun- 
dred feet wide. In the centre of the city, where these 
streets crossed, was to be a square of ten acres, and 
in each quarter of the city squares of eight acres. 
These squares still exist, except the central one, on 
which now stands Philadelphia's great City Hall. 

Growth of the City. — ^As has been said, not many 
settlers had come to the Delaware in the fifty years 
before Penn's arrival. Afterwards they came in 
large numbers. In 1683 nearly one hundred houses 
were built in Philadelphia, and two years afterwards 
there were six hundred houses with about three 
thousand people. Many others settled in the country 
between the Falls of Trenton and Chester and Mar- 
cus Hook. In the latter place the first Friends ' meet- 
ing-house was built. Most of the country dwellers 
planted Indian corn the first spring and had good 
crops in the autumn. Penn was proud of the prom- 
ising growth of his colony, which increased more 
rapidly than any other in America. Before he re- 
turned to England, in 1684, there were about five 
thousand persons in the new province. 

New Land Bought from the Indians. — Immigration 



18 THE ERA OF SETTLEMENT 

was SO rapid that Penn soon saw the need of more 
land than that purchased by Markham, and he 
bought another large tract from the Indians. They 
were quite mlling to dispose of part of their forest 
in exchange for the goods of the white men, though 
they would have had no use for money. 

The story told about this purchase is a tradition 
and we cannot be sure of its truth. It is stated that 
in this (or perhaps some other) purchase the land 
bought was to go as far back as a man could walk 
in three days. Penn and his friends, with a number 
of Indians, set out from the mouth of Neshaminy 
Creek to make the walk, going along in an easy fash- 
ion, now and then sitting down to rest and eat their 
crackers and cheese, and for the Indians to smoke. 
At the end of a day and a half they had reached 
a large spruce tree near Baker Creek. The party 
by this time were tired, so Penn said he had land 
enough and would leave the remainder for a future 
day. It was a sad time for the poor Indians when 
that day came, as will be seen further on. 

The Letitia House. — ^In the smimaer of 1683 Penn 
built a house to which he gave the name of his daugh- 
ter Letitia, also giving her name to the street on 
which it stood. This house has been moved to a 
beautiful location in Fairmount Park, where it has 
hosts of visitors. He lived in this humble mansion 
part of the time and here held the sessions of his 
Council, which was both a law-making body and a 
court. Here, in February, 1684, the Council tried a 
woman on the charge of witchcraft, William Penn 
sitting as judge. The jury of eight Friends brought 



THE LATER STORY OF WILLIAM PENN 



19 



in the verdict : ^ * Guilty of having tlie common fame 
of a witcli, but not guilty in form and manner as she 
stands indicted. ' ' That was the only trial for witch- 
craft ever held in Pennsylvania. 

Education and Immigration. — ^An important action 
of Penn and his Council was to establish a school in 
which the young people of the city might gain some 
degree of education, 
the master chosen be- 
ing Enoch Flower, 
who for twenty years 
had been a teacher in 
England. New set- 
tlers were now com- 
ing rapidly, about 
fifty ships arriving in 
1683. And these were 
by no means all Eng- 
lishmen. ManyWelsH 
came, most of them 
Friends, who settled 
through the country 
around And there 
were many Germans 

also, some of whom founded the village of German- 
town. Some of these were Friends, others belonged 
to German sects, though these were like the Friends 
in some of their religious views. 




Penn Paying the Indians for Their Lands. 



3. THE LATER STORY OF WILLIAM PENN. 
Penn Returns to England. — Though William Penn 
had founded a prosperous colony, it did not bring 



20 



THE ERA OF SETTLEMENT 



him either happiness or riches. While he enjoyed 
the years spent by him in America, he had many 
troubles and sufferings to bear in his hiter life. 
In August, 1684, he took ship back for England, 
where there were business matters for him to attend 
to. He did not expect to be long gone, but fifteen 
years passed before he again set foot on American 
soil. 




Lktitia ok Pt." 



:.i i" 



Penn is Persecuted. — Penn had severe persecutions 
to contend with. The Duke of York, the king's 
brother, who had given him the province of Dela- 
ware, became king himself, as James II, in 1684. He 
acted so much like a tyrant that in 1688 he was driven 
from the throne, and now all his friends were looked 



THE LATER STORY OF WILLIAM PENN 21 

upon as enemies of the new king, William III. 
William Penn was one of these. He wanted to re- 
turn to Pennsylvania and in 1690 laid plans to do so, 
expecting to take with him a colony of about five 
hundred families. But he had enemies in court and 
was several times arrested on the charge of trying 
to help the banished king. In the end, in 1692, the 
government of his province was taken away from 
him and was not restored until 1694. 

Penn's Return to His Province. — It was not until 
1699 that Penn was able to revisit his beloved 
colony. Colonel Markham, his cousin, was governor 
at that time, but there were pirates in the Delaware 
and the governor was accused of helping them. 
Penn was therefore told that he must dismiss Mark- 
ham and appoint a new governor. Instead of doing 
this he set sail himself for Pennsylvania, where he 
became once more his own governor. This time he 
had no intention of returning to England but hoped 
to spend the rest of his life among his people in 
America. 

Markham had built for him a fine mansion called 
Pennsbury, at a place above Bristol, and here he 
proposed to live in the style his position called for 
and to govern his province in the just and peaceful 
way suited to the principles of the Friends. 

The Pennsbury Mansion. — A large tract of land had 
been laid aside for Penn's country estate, running 
far back from the banks of the Delaware. The 
Pennsbury country-house was ready for him on his 
arrival, being built on a piece of rising ground facing 
the river. It was sixty feet long and forty feet deep, 



22 



THE ERA OF SETTLEMENT 



with wings, and was built of brick, two stories high, 
with a tile roof. In front was a broad porch with 
stone steps leading to the lawn. Inside it was hand- 
somely fitted np and furnished, with plenty of plate 
and other household needs. Of this fine house not a 
trace now remains. 

The garden of Pennsbury was large and so beau- 
tiful that it became in tim^ the wonder of the prov- 




1^. 

William Penn's Tea Service. 

ince. A coach was kept for travelling, but the roads 
were so bad that it was little used. Penn preferred 
to ride on horseback in his journeys through the 
country around and to go in a boat when he wanted 
to visit the city. 

Penn's Last Two Years in America. — When Penn 
reached his new city, in this visit, he looked 
on it with surprise and delight. He had heard 



THE LATER STORY OF WILLIAM PENN 23 

of its growth but could not help wondering at its fine 
appearance. From a small town it had grown into a 
city of more than two thousand houses, and was so 
full of new faces that he felt almost like a stranger. 
The Quakers welcomed him warmly, but there were 
many who were not glad to see him in their midst, 
since plots and plans were afoot of which they 
feared Governor Penn might not approve. 

Of all those in his province the Indians gave him 
the warmest welcome, for they knew that in William 
Penn they had their best friend. Two years he 
stayed and in that time gave the province a new 
and very liberal set of laws and brought the colony 
into much better order. Then business matters 
required his presence in London. He hoped to re- 
turn to America in a short time, but he never saw 
his colony again. 

In the Debtor's Prison. — Troubles grew thick around 
the great colonizer during the years that followed. 
A steward of his named Philip Ford had in some 
way brought Penn greatly in debt to him and got 
from him a large tract of land as security for the 
debt. He kept asking for more imtil in the end Penn 
made over to him the whole province of Pennsyl- 
vania as security. After his return to London in 
1701 this Ford claim came before the courts. Penn's 
friends would not let him pay it, as it was not a just 
claim, and in 1707 he went to the debtor's prison. 
Here he stayed for about nine months, when the 
heirs of Ford were forced to lower their claim. In 
the end they accepted about one-half of it, some of 
Penn's friends paying the money and setting him 
free. 



24: THE ERA OF SETTLEMENT 

Very little money came to Penn from Pennsyl- 
vania, though he had sold hundreds of thousands of 
acres. In fact, he became so poor that he offered to 
sell his rights to the Crown, but before the papers 
were ready to sign he was stricken with paralysis. 
This was in 1712. He lived, a sick and feeble man, 
six years longer, dying in 1718. Wlien the news of 
his death reached his province it was received with 
deep sorrow by whites and Indians alike. All honest 
men felt that in him they had lost a true and noble 
friend. 

4. THE SETTLERS OF PENNSYLVANL4. 

The First Comers. — Before telling the story of the 
events that took place in the new colony, it is well 
to say something about the different classes of 
people who settled it. We have already spoken of the 
Swedes and Dutch, whom Penn found there on his 
arrival, and who were very willing to remain under 
his just rule. There were English, too, who were not 
Quakers, and many of these lived in what were then 
called ''the three lower counties," now the State of 
Delaware. Most of those who came to Penn's Colony 
in the early years of its settlement were Quakers ; but 
as time passed persons of other religious faiths came, 
so that by the year 1700 there was quite a mixture of 
European peoples and religions, although the 
Quakers were still the most numerous. 

Christ Church Built.— Among the English settlers 
were some who belonged to the Church of, England, 
here known as the Episcopal Church. By 1695 these 
people had become strong enough to support a 



THE SETTLERS OF PENNSYLVANIA 



2i 



church of their own and they built one named Christ 
Church. Its first bell was hung in the crotch of a tree. 
The old church gave way to a new one about fifty 
years later, and this fine old church still stands on 
Second Street north of Market. It is one of the 
historic relics of the city, and the pew occupied in it 
by President Washington is still pointed out. 
Welsh Settlers. 



I 



— P e o p 1 e from 
Wales, most of 
them Quakers, 
were among the 
early settlers. 
They had been as 
badly treated as 
the English Quak- 
ers and were glad 
to sail for a new 
home beyond the 
seas where they 
could dwell in 
peace and safety. 
Some of t h e m 
came with Penn 
in the ship Wel- 
come and others 
soon afterwards. Not many of these settled in 
the city, most of tliem going back into the country 
west of the Schuylkill, where they took up land in 
what camp to be known as the Welsh Tract. We 
find Welsh names all over this district, such as Bryn 
Mawr, Penllyn and Gwynedd, and the name of liiont- 




Christ Chtjech. 



2Q THE ERA OF SETTLEMENT 

gomery County also came from Wales. Some of 
them went west as far as Lancaster County, where 
we still have their name in the ^^ Welsh Mountains.'' 
The trail made by them through the forest in their 
first journeys westward was the beginning of the 
Lancaster pike, in later years a noted highway. 

Penn and the Germans. — ^William Penn, in his early 
days of preaching, made two visits to Holland and 
Germany, where he explained to the people the 
doctrines of the Friends. He found many of these 
to be much like the Friends in their ideas, chief 
among them the Mennonites, who did not believe in 
war or display, but used plain speech and wore sim- 
ple clothing. They had long been persecuted like the 
Friends and were glad to hear these new doctrines. 
A^Hien they were told that William Penn had made a 
home across the seas where all were free to worship 
in their own way, many of them hastened to that 
land of freedom. 

The Mennonite Colonists. — Some Dutch Mennonites 
had come to America as early as 1662, but their small 
settlement had been broken up by the English, their 
leader escaping into the wilderness. Others came in 
1683, among them a learned German named Francis 
Daniel Pastorius, who made his first home in one of 
the caves along the Delaware. He was a great 
scholar, who had learned seven or eight languages 
and knew much about science and philosophy. Those 
who followed these first settlers made their way 
to a large tract of land which had been bought for 
them above Philadelphia, As these were all Ger- 
mans they named their new place Germantown, and 



THE SETTLERS OF PENNSYLVANIA 27 

by tills name it is still known, tliongli it was long 
ago swallowed up by the great neighboring city. 

The Building of Germantown. — The new settlers 
were soon busy digging cellars and building huts 
above them. They were poor people and had to 
begin their new life in a very simple way. When 
the first two-story house was built and the dinner 
spread for the house-raisers, William Penn was one 




Old Buildings at Ephrata, Pennsylvania. 

of those who sat down to the humble meal. He was 
glad to have these people in his province. Others 
soon came, and the little settlement grew rapidly. 
Corn and buckwheat were planted, and at the end 
of the first year they had plenty to eat and better 
houses to live in. 

A Settlement of Weavers. — These early German 
settlers had learned tlie art of weaving: in their own 



28 THE ERA OF SETTLEMENT 

country, and soon the spindle and the loom were at 
work in the Uttle village, woven and knit goods 
being made that became known as Mennonite goods. 
Pastorius chose for the town seal a three-leaved 
stalk of clover, there being on one of its leaves a 
vine, on another a stalk of flax, and on the third a 
spool of thread, with a suitable Latin motto. The 
Germans soon started other industries, for most of 
them were skilled workmen in various trades. As 
early as 1690 they built a paper-mill on a branch of 
Wissahickon Creek, the first in America. Also they 
had among them printers, lace-makers, silversmiths, 
and artisans of other kinds. 

German Sects. — In those days there were many 
religious sects in Germany which had branched out 
from the state church. Like the Quakers, most of 
them opposed war, the taking of oaths, and display 
in dress, and others besides the Mennonites came to 
Pennsylvania. Pietists, who came in 1694, settled 
along the Wissahickon, and were much given to 
prayer and pious thought. A stone building put up 
by them for religious uses in 1734 still stands and 
is known as the ^'monastery on the Wissahickon.'^ 

Others, who came later, were the Dunkers, or 
German Baptists, the Schwenkf elders, and the Mora- 
vians. These pushed up into the wilderness, the 
Dunkers founding a monastery at Ephrata, Lancas-. 
ter County, the Moravians settling Nazareth in 1739 
and Bethlehem in 1741, and the others pushing north- 
ward into Montgomery, Lehigh and Berks counties. 
Here their descendants, commonly spoken of as the 
'* Pennsylvania Dutch,'' are numerous to-day, and 



THE SETTLERS OF PENNSYLVANIA 29 

the German language of two centuries ago is still 
spoken, though with an odd mixture of English 
words. 

Other German Immigrants. — It was the visits of 
William Penn to Germany that had started this tide 
of settlers towards Pennsylvania. But after 1700 
many came for other reasons. The English govern- 
ment was now trying to induce the Germans to emi- 
grate to the American colonies, spreading such glow- 
ing accounts of these through the German states that 
soon multitudes were on their way. They came to 
England in large numbers and from there were sent 
to America, most of them going to Pennsylvania. 
By 1725 many thousands of these useful colonists had 
sought the province of William Penn. These spread 
far and wide through the valleys of the Schuylkill 
and the Lehigh, and we owe to them the towns of 
Easton, Allentown, Beading, Lebanon and Lancas- 
ter. Then they pushed farther west, into the valleys 
of the Susquehanna and the Juniata and down into 
Cumberland Valley. By 1750 they numbered nearly 
one hundred thousand in Pennsylvania. 

The Scotch-Irish. — Now we have to speak of a 
different class of settlers, those known as Scotch- 
Irish. These were people who had gone from Scot- 
land to Ireland many years before to settle on the 
lands taken by the English government from the 
Irish rebels. They were farmers by occupation and 
Presbyterians in religion, and two things took them 
to Pennsylvania, the story of its fertile soil and its 
religious libert}^ They began to come soon after 
1700 and at once sought the frontier regions, go- 



30 THE ERA OF SETTLEMENT 

ing westward and northward into Chester, Lancas- 
ter, Bucks, and other counties. 

A Pioneer People. — The Scotch-Irish were fitted 
for life on the frontier. They were not men of 
peace, like the Quakers and many of the Germans, 
but men ready to fight their way, as they had been 
forced to do in Ireland. They were soon quarrelling 
with the Germans, and to stop this the officials in- 
duced them to go farther west, while the Germans 
stayed in the east. These born j^ioneers were quite 
ready to invade the wilderness, and when the land 
beyond the Alleghenies was opened to settlers they 
pushed forward into it, carrying the frontier of 
Pennsylvania far towards its western border. 
Neither wild beasts nor savage Indians could stop 
them, for they came of a fighting race. Whatever 
may be said of the doings of the Scotch-Irish in those 
early days, their rough and energetic ways well fitted 
them for the work of pioneers. They were the best 
people to endure the hardship and danger of the 
frontiers, and the strength and energy they devel- 
oped made them just the men to face the struggles 
that were to come. 

The Huguenot Settlers. — There is still another 
class of settlers of whom something must be said, 
though they were not very numerous. These were 
part of the Protestants of France, the Huguenots, as . 
they are called, who had been treated by the kings 
of that country in the same cruel way that the relig- 
ious sects of England and Germany had been treated 
by governments and church leaders. As they could 
not live in comfort in France they sought homes else- 



THE SETTLERS OF PENNSYLVANIA 31 

where, many of them coming to America. William 
Penn induced some of them to settle in Pennsylvania. 
They had been growers of the vine, and he asked 
them to cultivate grapes ^'up the Schuylkill.'' 

The French Settlement.— In 1712 a French lady 
named Madame Ferree arrived. Her husband had 
been killed in France, and she fled to England, where 
Penn aided her to go to Pennsylvania. The vine- 
yards on the Schuylkill had not been successful, so 
he gave her a grant of two thousand acres of land 
in Pequea Valley, then in Chester, now in Lancaster, 
County. She bought as much more, and all tlie 
French immigrants went to this fertile valley, where 
they formed a Huguenot settlement. 

The Delaware Indians, some of whom dwelt here, 
gave a warm welcome to the new settlers, and they 
lived together in harmony, the Huguenots showing 
their good feeling by attending the funeral of the 
Indian chief, who died after their arrival. The 
descendants of these French settlers still live in the 
country surrounding their early place of settlement. 



32 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 

PART I 
QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 

1. What tribes of Indians inhabited Pennsylvania? \Vho were 
the first settlers on the Delaware? What contests arose between 
them and which nation gained final possession? 

2. Who founded the religious sect of Friends or Quakers? 
How were the Quakers treated? What can you tell about William 
Penn? What were his reasons for seeking a refuge for the Quakers 
in America? Where was his new province, and how did it obtain 
its name? Tell about his new city and its name. Describe the 
voyage of the ship Welcome. How did Penn deal with the Indians? 
What can you tell about the " Great Law " ? On what plan was 
Philadelphia laid out? 

3. What led to the Pennsylvania and Maryland border question? 
How was Penn treated after his return to England? Tell the 
story of his last two years in Pennsylvania. What do you know 
about Penn's later life? 

4. What classes of people came to Pennsylvania ? Where did 
the W^elsh settle? By whom was Oermantown settled? What is 
said about the Germans? Who were the Scotch-Irish and why did 
they seek the wilderness? What ■settlers came from France? 




Longitude 



PART II. 
THE EARLY HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



1. FROM PENN'S FIRST TO HIS SECOND VISIT. 

A Happy Colony. — The people who came to William 
Penn's province had reason to be happy. In the 
other colonies there had been much hardship and 
many had died from sickness or famine, but here 
all went well from the start. The soil was fertile, 
the climate pleasant, the Indians peaceful, food plen- 
tiful, the laws under which they lived mild and just. 
Nearly all the early settlers were persons who did 
not believe in war or strife and wished to dwell in 
peace and good-will with all men. In the new city of 
Philadelphia the sounds of hammer and saw were 
everj^where heard, houses rose as if they had grown 
out of the ground, ships came in a steady stream 
loaded with new colonists, and Penn, their wise 
leader, was with them to see that all were justly 
treated. 

Thomas Lloyd. — One of the early comers was 
Thomas Lloyd, a native of Wales, and a man of wis- 
dom and education. He had joined the Friends in 
England and brought his wife and nine children to 
seek a home of freedom beyond the sea. When Penn 
went back to England in 1684 he left this man to take 
his place as president of the Council and keeper of 
the great seal of the province. After William Penn, 
the Quakers looked upon Thomas Lloyd as the chief 
3 33 



34 



THE EARLY HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



man among them and his possession of the great 
seal, with which all laws had to be stamped, made 
him the real head of the government, whether in or 
out of office, until his death in 1694. 




A Friends' Wedding. 



Troubles to Deal With. — Lloyd had troubles to deal 
with, as every man in authority has. There was a 
Council chosen by Penn and an Assembly chosen by 
the people, and these two did not work well together. 
And the people in the cave dwellings along the banks 



FROM PENN'S FIRST TO HIS SECOND VISIT 35 

of the Delaware were soon another source of trouble. 
These caves had been dug in the bank by the early 
comers, who lived in them till their houses were 
built. After they left them some riotous fellows, 
who in various ways had got into the colony, began 
to live in them, and by drunkenness and bad behavior 
made them such a nuisance that the good people were 
greatly disturbed. In the end, in 1685, the caves 
were destroyed and the rioters were driven off. 

Printing and Education.— The Friends who came to 
Philadelphia were an intelligent people and it was 
not long before they had the printing press in use. 
Within seven years after Penn's landing there was 
one at work in the new city, an almanac being one of 
the first things issued. William Bradford had 
brought this press from England, with type, paper 
and ink, to print books for the Friends. The first 
newspaper made its appearance in 1719, and by that 
time there were postal routes from Philadelphia to 
Virginia and Boston. Penn had set up a post-office 
as early as 1683. Education was also attended to. 
We have spoken of Enoch Flower's little school. One 
of higher grade was soon opened, the Friends' Pub- 
lic Grammar School, chartered in 1689. It is of in- 
terest to be able to say that Philadelphia still has 
this school, now known as the William Penn Charter 
School. There were soon schools in Germantown, 
Darby, and other places, in which the young people 
of tliat day could get an education. 

Governor Fletcher. — There were quarrels in the 
new colony, some of them due to the acts of John 
Blackwell, an old soldier, who had been made deputy 



36 THE EARLY HISTORY OF PEXNSYLVAXIA 

governor in 1688. News of these tronbles was 
among the reasons which caused the king in 1692 
to take away the office of governor from Penn and 
give it to Benjamin Fletcher, governor of New York. 
Fletcher reached Philadelphia early in 1693. He 
was a headstrong man who soon showed that he 
cared nothing for the charter or the laws of William 
Penn. He tried to make the Assembly vote money to 
snpport a war then going on between New York and 
Canada, bnt they refused to vote it unless he would 
restore the old laws of William Penn. For two years 
he ruled, and then some of Penn's friends got the 
king to give back the government of the province 
to its rightful owner. 

Colonel Markham Deputy Governor. — As Penn was 
not yet able to come to America, he made his cousin, 
Colonel Markham, deiDuty governor. The chief thing 
Marlvliam did was to have a law passed which was 
more liberal in some ways than Penn's ^' Great 
Law." New rights were given to the Assembly, and 
the peace that afterwards ruled in the colony showed 
the changes to be wise ones. 

Pirates in the Delaware. — A new source of trouble 
came from the jiirates, sea robbers who were then so 
numerous along the American coasts that all honest 
trade was in danger. Many of these sought lurk- 
ing places along Delaware Bay. They found the 
Delaware a safe place, for the Quaker settlers were 
so opposed to strife of any kind that nothing was 
done against the freebooters, even when they robbed 
the people along the bay and river. As Markham 
made no effort to drive them away he was accused 



FROM PENN'S FIRST TO HIS SECOND VISIT 37 

of helping them, and it was this, as we have already 
said, that caused Penn to come back to his province 
in 1699 and act as his own governor. 

Penn in Philadelphia. — Penn brought with him a 
wife whom he had recently married, Hannah Callow- 
hill, whose name persists in one of the city streets. 
He also brought Letitia, the daughter of his first 
wife, after whom he had named the Letitia House. 
James Logan, who was afterwards a very important 
man in the colony, came as his secretary. And he 
was not long in Philadelphia before his son, John 
Penn, was born. He was the only one of Penn^s 
children born in America, and therefore was called 
''The American." 

A New Constitution. — Penn soon had laws passed 
to drive away the pirates and the Delaware was 
cleared of this tribe of plunderers. But the most 
important thing done was to give the people of his 
province a new constitution. He did not approve 
of what Colonel Markham had done in this direction, 
yet he wanted a code of laws that would satisfy all 
the reasonable demands of the people. 

The new constitution was much broader than the 
"Great Law" of 1682. The Council was now made 
the adviser of the Governor, its former law-making 
power being taken from it and left in the hands of 
the Assembly and the Governor. This is what the 
Assembly had demanded for nearly twenty years, 
and it now became a regular legislative body. Be- 
fore this time all laws had to be proposed and pre- 
pared by the Council. Penn's charter gave him the 
sole power of establishing courts of justice, but he 



38 THE EARLY HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

now gave the Assembly tlie right to join him in this, 
while the Council selected the judges. 

Philadelphia a City. — A charter was given by Penn 
in 1701 by which Philadelphia was made a city, 
Edward Shippen being appointed its first mayor. 
The first alderman and members of the common 
council were also appointed. A new mayor was to be 
elected every year. In November, 1701, Penn set 
sail for England, after selecting Andrew Hamilton, 
former governor of East Jersey, for his deputy and 
making James Logan secretary of the province, 
clerk of the Council, and his personal agent, with 
charge of all his private affairs. 

How Matters Went On. — Matters were proceeding 
in a way Penn did not much like. The Quakers 
begun to find themselves opposed by a strong party 
who held other opinions. The people of the Dela- 
ware counties were hostile to the union with Penn- 
sylvania. Grovernor Hamilton acted against the 
Quaker doctrines by organizing a company of militia 
in Philadelphia and proposing others elsewhere. 
There were many who held that the Quakers, with 
their doctrine of non-resistance, were unfit to rule 
a colony. 

How Crimes Were Dealt With. — ^While the Quakers 
were an honest and quiet people, there were many 
in the province of different character, and these made 
plenty of work for the courts. Among the common 
offences were stealing, swearing, working on Sunday, 
assault and battery, selling rum to the Indians, and 
various others. These were usually punished by 
fines. A liar was fined half a crown. The fine for 



FROM PENN'S SECOND VISIT TO HIS DEATH 39 

playing cards and gambling in any way was five 
shillings and imprisonment at hard labor for five 
days. For drinking healths the fine was also five 
shillings. Anyone who smoked tobacco in the streets 
of Philadelphia or New Castle was fined twelve pence, 
the money thus obtained being used to buy fire 
buckets and other fire apparatus. Ten days in 
prison and twenty shillings fine was the punishment 
for taking part in plays, revels, bull-baiting, cock- 
fights, and the like popular sports of the times. 

Substitutes for Money. — The scarcity of money 
made it at times not easy to pay a fine or settle an 
account, and other things often took the place of 
cash. Tims we read of one account being settled in 
conrt by two bushels of wheat and 172 pounds of 
pork, and another by three bottles of rum and one 
thousand six-penny nails. In another case 150 
pounds of pork were paid for a shirt. Immigrants 
who could not pay their passage money could be sold 
as servants for a term of years, yet the courts 
guarded their rights. In one case the court ordered 
a master, who had turned off his servant without 
keeping his word with him, ^4o pay him" a hat, 
coat, waistcoat, breeches, drawers, stockings and 
shoes, all new, also ten bushels of wheat or fourteen 
bushels of corn, two hoes and one axe. Such was 
the currency of the country in those early days. 

2. FROM PENN'S SECOND VISIT TO HIS DEATH. 
Affairs in the Province. — When Penn went home 
in 1701, he left his province in a very good state. 
The farmers were doing very well, having everything 



40 



THE EARLY HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



they needed except money. This all went to England 
to pay the debts of the colony, so that a gold or silver 
coin was rarely seen. So far there was no paper 
money. Yet mills rattled merrily, making wealth 
for their owners, business in the city was active, and 
a large number of ships carried the produce of the 
province to England. Many of these went by the 
way of the West Indies, where they would exchange 
part of their cargo for the goods of that region. 




Feiends Going to Meeting in SuxMmer. 



Affairs in the City. — The main growth of the city 
was along the river above and below Market Street, 
or High Street, as it was then called. The city 
stretched back from the river to Fifth or Sixth 
Street, the houses being mostly of brick and well 
built. Trades and business of various kinds went 
on, and Philadelphia was quite a thriving and busy 
place, one of the most active in the colonies. Houses 
for official purposes, however, were wanting, and 
the Assembly often had to sit in the Friends ' meeting 



FROM PENN'S SECOND VISIT TO HIS DEATH 41 

houses. Ale houses were rented for the use of the 
Council, or rooms taken in private houses. 

Governor Evans. — Colonel Markham had done much 
for the city, but he was now growing old and feeble, 
so when Governor Hamilton, appointed 'by Penn, 
died in 1704, Markham was not again appointed to 
the office, a new governor, John Evans, being 
chosen. This was as bad a choice as Penn could well 
have made. Evans was a young man, wild in habits 
and hasty in acts. He had poor judgment and he 
acted in a way not well suited to the good of the 
colony. 

William Penn, Jr.— William Penn had a son of his 
own name but of very different habits. He was 
given to evil ways and kept such bad company in 
London that his father sent him to America, putting 
him in the care of Logan and Evans, and telling 
them to keep a close watch over the young man and 
try to interest him in hunting. Other men of high 
standing were also asked to use their influence. 
Governor Evans, as it proved, did far more harm 
than good to the wild youth, joining him in his 
follies. They lived gay lives, visited low taverns, 
and took part in rows and riots in the street. Late 
one night a constable was beaten while doing his duty 
and the city guard had to be called out. Evans 
escaped, but Penn was arrested and held guilty of 
serious otfences against the public peace. He sold 
a fine estate which his father had given him and 
returned to England deeply in debt. There he died 
a few years later. Evans was left in office, where he 
performed still worse acts of folly. 

A False Alarm. — War then existed between Eng- 



42 THE EARLY HISTORY OF PENNS^^LYANIA 

land and France and Governor Evans thonght tlie 
city ought to have a military force, but the Quakers 
in the Assembly would not vote the money or do 
anything else to carry out plans that had to do with 
war. He then decided to try and scare them into it. 
An annual fair was being held in the city and into 
the crowd a messenger rode in great haste, calling 
out loudly that the French fleet was coming up the 
Delaware. 

In a moment there was wild alarm. The governor 
rode through the streets on horseback, sword in 
hand, calling on the people to muster and arm for 
the public defence. This led to a panic of fright. 
Ships left the wharves in haste; articles of value 
were thrown into wells; women went into hysterics 
and children were sent into the country for safety. 
Many of the people mustered, but few of these were 
Friends. It was the day for the mid-week meeting 
and the members went to the meeting house as usual, 
as if nothing more than ordinary was taking place. 

The truth came out before night. There was no 
French fleet and the whole alarm proved a foolish 
fraud. Those who had helped the governor to raise 
the panic had to flee from the fury of the people, 
and Governor Evans lost the respect of all citizens 
of sense by his absurd and wicked act. 

Governor Evans's Fort. — Delaware had for a time, 
been part of Pennsylvania but in 1703 it was made a 
separate colony under its present name. It was 
given its own Assembly but it was under the gover- 
nor of Pennsylvania. Governor Evans took ad- 
vantage of this to get the Delaware Assembly to 



FROM PENN'S SECOND VISIT TO HIS DEATH 43 

build a fort at New Castle and charge a toll on all 
vessels passing. This was a blow at the trade of 
Philadelphia, and some of the leading merchants de- 
cided not to submit to it. 

Three Quaker ship-owners had a vessel loaded for 
Barbadoes, and one of them, Eichard Hill, an old 
sailor, took command. He proposed to defy the 
fort. Evans heard of this and set out for the fort, 
bent on collecting the toll. On came the ship, 
dropped anchor near the fort, and two of the mer- 
chants went ashore, where they told the commander 
that their vessel was regularly cleared and would 
not pay the toll. 

On went the ship and shots were fired from the 
fort, one of them going through its mainsail. The 
commander now sprang into an open boat and pur- 
sued the vessel. He was allowed to come on board 
but was at once locked up in the cabin. Governor 
Evans also pursued and went on board the vessel 
at Salem, New Jersey, where it had stopped. Here, 
to the surprise of all, they found Lord Cornbury, 
governor of New York and New Jersey. The matter 
was left to his decision and he quickly decided in 
favor of the merchants. Evans went back home very 
angry, but he found that everybody was opposed 
to him and he was forced to order the fort to be 
demolished. 

David Lloyd and His Doings. — During all this time 
a man named David Lloyd, very able as a lawyer, 
had been the leading power in the Assembly. He 
was supported by the popular party and bitter 
toward Penn and his interests, against which he 



44 THE EARLY HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

stirred up a great deal of feeling. He went so far 
in the end that Penn was driven to prosecute him, 
hut he escaped through some flaw in the indictment. 
The attacks on the founder of the colon}^ at length 
turned the tide in his favor, and in 1709 a new Assem- 
hly was elected, made up of his friends. David Lloyd 
was defeated and went to Chester to live. After 
this he seemed to be a different man and acted in a 
way that was a credit to him. 

A New Governor. — One of the reasons of the change 
in public opinion was the dismissal by Penn of Gov- 
ernor Evans in 1709, Colonel Charles Gookin being 
made governor in his place. Gookin had been a sol- 
dier and was a man of hasty temper and small wis- 
dom. Yet he meant well and was not likely to play 
idle pranks like those of Evans. An early thing he 
was asked to do was to raise one hundred and fifty 
men to be paid for by the province and take part 
in the war then going on with the French in Canada. 
He saw trouble ahead with the Quakers in the 
Assembly, but asked them to vote £4,000, saying 
that they would not be asked to hire men as soldiers, 
that being left to him. The Assembly refused. 
They would not promise more than £500, and they 
must be satisfied that this would not be used for the 
war. In the end they voted £2,000 ^^for the queen's 
use, ' ' and as a token of their duty. The war ended 
in 1713, and it was long before such a question came 
up again. 

The Question of Oaths. — On the question of taking 
oaths for jury service and in courts Governor 
Gookin and the Assembly were unable to agree. 



FROM PENN'S SECOND VISIT TO HIS DEATH 45 

In 1711 an act was passed giving those whose con- 
science would not let them take an oath the right to 
affirm that the evidence they gave should be ^4he 
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." 

In 1714 the Queen repealed this law. A year later 
it was passed again, but was again set aside. Xo 



"1! 




Old Friends' Meeting House at Chester. 

Quaker could now give evidence, sit on a jury, or 
hold any civil office. For two years the colony got 
along with very little government, and then, as 
Gookin refused to sign any more bills about oaths, 
Penn was requested to dismiss him. He did so, and 
appointed Sir William Keith governor in 1717. 
This was "William Penn's last important act. He 
died the following year, and in that year the Assem- 
bly again passed an act permitting men to affirm 
instead of taking oaths. This was in a form that 
satisfied the English government and it was allowed 
to stand. 



46 THE EARLY HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

3. THE ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR KEITH. 

Penn's Will and His Children. — For a number of 
years before the death of William Penn he had been 
in no condition to attend to business, and his wife 
Hannah took this care upon herself. A sensible and 
capable woman, she was well adapted to this task. 
Under his will she was left executrix and trustee of 
his estate, and at once undertook to manage the 
affairs of the province of Pennsylvania. He bad left 
his English and Irish estates to William and Letitia, 
the surviving children of his first wife, and his 
American estates to his widow and her children, 
John, Thomas, Margaret, Eichard and Dennis. His 
son William, who had acted so badly in Philadelphia, 
tried to gain control, but failed in tlie attempt. 

Pennsylvania in 1718. — At the time of Penn's death 
the province of Pennsylvania was thirty-six years 
old and was in a very prosperous condition. So far 
it had not been troubled by wars with the Indians 
and had taken no part in the wars with France which 
had hindered the growth of some of the other colon- 
ies. The Quaker belief in the ways of peace had 
kept it free from war and its evils. The people, and 
there were now many of them, found enough to keep 
them busy in building houses and barns, in sowing 
and reaping the crops of the fields, and in adding by 
steady industry to their wealth. This state of affairs 
brought numbers of immigrants and Pennsylvania 
grew faster in population than any of the colonies 
to the south or the north. 

Settlers came from all parts of western Europe 
except Spain and Portugal, and trade grew until the 



THE ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR KEITH 47 

Delaware presented a busy scene, vessels passing to 
and fro and the wharves bustling with active labor. 
The streets throbbed with new life, business was 
active, land cheap, and a steady tide of homeseekers 
left the city for the forest lands surrounding. 
Along the rough roads rolled the carts of settlers, 
laden with their household goods ; through the wood- 
land paths went others on foot, carrying their small 
effects on their backs. They had come into a land 
of promise, where war had never yet been seen, 
where no one had been forced to do military duty, 
where anyone might accept what religion he pleased, 
where taxes were light and the land rich and fertile. 
It was a country that seemed to have a great future 
before it. 

A Successful Administration. — Sir William Keith, 
the new governor, showed himself a very different 
man from Governor Gookin, who had fought his way 
at every step. Keith had a smooth, flattering 
manner, with clear business ideas, and did his best to 
be friendly with everybody. His politeness paid, 
for the Assembly at once voted him four hundred 
and fifty pounds and afterwards gave him an ample 
salary. 

Everything went on well, the expenses of the gov- 
ernment were kept low, and were fully met by the 
taxes; the fields yielded largely and there was much 
to send abroad, the inspection laws giving a good 
reputation to the flour and salted meats of the prov- 
ince. In his dealings with the Indians Governor Keith 
was very successful, disputes that seemed likely to 
end in bloodshed were settled by him quietly, and 



48 THE EARLY history OF PENNSYLVANIA 

when an Indian was killed by one of tlie whites 
in a brutal way Keith so softened the anger of the 
tribe that the chief asked him not to put the mur- 
derer to death, saying: "One life is enough to be 
lost; there should not two die.'^ 

The Flood of Immigrants. — While well-to-do immi- 
grants were welcome, there were so many of a differ- 
ent kind that the government sought to stop these. 
The citizens of Philadelphia found themselves 
troubled with the poor and worthless and some of 

those who settled 
^V — ™"" -- -**-,-, ^^ ^^^ frontier 

^^^^^ 1^ "* \^ treated the In- 

dians in a way 
likely to cause 
disturbance. 
There was not 
* enough labor for 

^ " ^ those who came 

St. Davic's Church, 1717. Still i>- Usl. OVCr aS SCrvautS 

and ' ^ redemp- 
tioners.'' The latter were men who sold their ser- 
vices to masters in the colony for the payment of 
their passage money. Also many convicts were 
sent out from England. To stop this a law was 
passed, laying a tax of five pounds on each convict, 
and obliging the importer to give bonds in twenty 
pounds for the good behavior of each for one year. 

Paper Money Issued. — The worst trouble the colony 
had to contend with was the scarcity of money. We 
have already spoken of how grain, meat and other 
farm products were made to take the place of money. 




THE ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR KEITH 49 

Not only debts, but even taxes, were paid in this way, 
corn, beef and pork being accepted at fixed prices. 
The rents due Penn and his family were often paid 
in wheat. 

This difficulty extended through all the colonies, 
and Massachusetts was the first to try and meet it by 
the issue of paper money. South Carolina did the 
same, and the paper money of these colonies began 
to appear in Pennsylvania. Its people found paper 
promises to pay much more convenient as currency 
than wheat, pork or tobacco, and began to demand 
paper money of their own. Keith was ready to help 
them and in 1723 succeeded in having a paper-money 
bill passed by the Assembly, though many opposed 
it, thinking this money would in time become 
worthless. 

Keith's Money Bill.— The Act of Assembly called 
for an issue of fifteen thousand pounds, the bills 
being from one to twenty shillings in value. Any 
owner of gold or silver plate or of real estate- clear 
of debt could obtain these notes, paying ^ve per cent, 
per annum for their use. Their property was given 
as security, the loans on plate being for one year 
only, those on real estate for eight years, one-eighth 
of the smn borrowed to be repaid yearly. All bills 
paid in were to be destroyed. 

So useful to the people was this new form of 
money that thirty thousand pounds were issued the 
next year. These later bills, when paid in, were not 
to be burned, but loaned out again, so as to keep the 
full sum of paper money afloat. This system was 
kept up until the Eevolution. And while the paper 
4 



50 THE EARLY HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

money of some other colonies sank in value by bad 
management, that of Pennsylvania had such good 
security in plate and real estate that it kept up 
to par with gold. Nothing could have been done 
more useful to the province than this issue of paper 
money. 

The Coming of Benjamin Franklin. — It was in 1723, 
during the administration of Governor Keith, that 
Benjamin Franklin, then a boy of seventeen, came 
to Philadelphia, in which city he was for many years 
to play a leading part. He came in humbly enough, 
however, with a pack over his shoulder, after a 
foot tramp across New Jersey. In his interesting 
autobiography he tells us some things about Gover- 
nor Keith that were not much to the credit of this 
official and which are worth repeating. 

Franklin and Keith. — A letter written by the young 
newcomer fell into Keith's hands and pleased him 
so much that he thought such ability ought to be 
rewarded. He saw Franklin and won his confidence 
by his smooth and plausible ways, advising him to go 
to London to improve himself and promising him 
letters which would aid him to make his way in that 
great city. They were to be sent on board the sliip 
in which Franklin had taken passage, but the letters 
failed to appear and Franklin reached London with 
little cash and no credit. 

Franklin's story about Keith has given that gen- 
tleman a wider fame than any other* provincial gov- 
ernor ever had. Yet it is hard to believe that he set 
out deliberately to send adrift a young man who was 
likely to be a great credit to the city under his con- 



THE ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR KEITH 51 

trol. It may liave been carelessness or forgetfulness 
on the part of Keith, or he may have promised more 
than he was able to perform, but, however it was, 
Keith certainly did not act like an honorable man 
in this instance. 

The Criminal Law. — ^William Penn has been justly 
praised for limitingvthe death penalty to cases of 
murder and treason, at a time when in Europe 
criminals were hanged for robber}^, burglary, con- 
spiracy, forgery and many other crimes, some of 
them of little importance. Governor Keith was in 
favor of extending the laws of England to the colon- 
ies, and through his influence an act was passed by 
the Assembly making a large number of offences 
subject to the death penalty. Thus the humane law 
made by Penn expired in the year of his death and 
was not restored until the end of the Revolutionary 
War. 

Keith and the Council. — Keith in the various ways 
named made himself very popular with the Assembly 
and the people, but he did not succeed so well with 
the Council. He claimed that this body had nothing 
to do with making the laws, and in 1722 he removed 
James Logan, the friend and agent of the Penn 
family, from his posts as Secretary of the Province 
and Member of the Council. He had done something 
that offended the governor. 

Thus began a quarrel that ended in the dismissal 
of Keith. Logan at once sailed to England, told Mrs. 
Penn about what the governor was doing, and came 
back with letters sustaining all he had done and 
ordering the governor to replace him in his official 



52 



THE EARLY HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



posts. Keith was warned that he must pay some 
attention to the rights of the Penn family if he 
wanted to remain governor. He was bidden to make 
no speech, send no message, return no bills, and pass 
no law without a vote of the council in favor of these 
acts. Nothing, in fact, that Keith had done satisfied 
Mrs. Penn, though she was willing to give him a 
further trial. 

The Governor 
Loses His Place. 
— Logan's act led 
to quick results. 
Keith sent Mrs. 
Penn's letter of 
instructions to 
the Assembly and 
refused to restore 
Logan to his ofifi- 
c i a 1 places. A 
sharp c o n t r o - 
versy between him 
and Logan now 
arose. David 
Lloyd, once so ac- 
t i V e in making 
trouble and now 
Chief Justice of 
the province, took part and made a sharp attack 
on Logan. The Assembly also came to the support 
of the governor and voted him one thousand pounds. 
Keith now thought himself strong enough to defy 
Mrs. Penn, fancying that she would be afraid 
to act against one who was so popular in the prov- 




GovERNOK Keith. 



GOVERNOR GORDON'S ADMINISTRATION 53 

ince and had made it so prosperous. But she soon 
showed him his mistake by quietly removing him 
from office and appointing a new governor in hisi 
place. And the Assembly, which he fancied would 
support him, dropped him at once and voted him a 
very small salary for 1726, his last year. 

Keith's administration had been a successful one 
in many ways. He had done much for the good of 

the people. But 

he had failed to , • 1 

c o n s i d e r t li e j 

rights and claims 

of those who had ^^^^ [i 

appointed him. 

He stayed in the 

country two years 

longer and at- "^^^^ j 

tem23tea to make -p^g slate roof house, a noted old philadel- 
trouble there for phia mansion. 

his successor. Then he left the country in a hurry 
to escape his creditors, but seems to have found 
others in London, for he died there in prison. 

4. GOVERNOR GORDON'S ADMINISTRATION. 
The New Governor. — Patrick Grordon, selected for 
governor by Mrs. Penn as successor to Governor 
Keith, was an old soldier and a very old man to be 
chosen for such a position. He had long served in 
the English armies and had risen to be colonel of a 
regiment. He had now reached the age of eighty- 
two, a great age to begin an active duty, but his 
kindly heart and simple ways saved him from the 
quarrels and disputes of those who had preceded 




54 THE EARLY HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Mm and lie won the respect and support of tlie 
people. 

Affairs Under Gordon. — Happily, Gordon's era was 
one of peace and prosperity. The most imioortant 
affair during his term was the dispute about the 
border line between Pennsylvania and Maryland. 
This had now been kept up for some fifty years, and 
many years were still to pass before it would be 
settled. Other affairs were of minor importance. 
There were questions about reducing the duty on 
salt for the benefit of the shad fishers and about 
Indian treaties. A new county, that of Lancaster, 
was formed out of Chester County. An agent was 
appointed to reside in London and look after the 
interests of the Penn family, and the man chosen, 
John Fernando Paris, did excellent work. The 
French were now beginning to make those claims to 
the valley of the Ohio which were soon to lead to war. 

Franklin Returns. — We must say something here 
about Benjamin Franklin, whom Keith had sent to 
London on a wild-goose chase. lie came back again 
in 1725, after working as a printer in London, and 
soon set up an office of his own in Philadelphia. He 
bought out an unsuccessful paper, the ^^Pennsyl- 
vania Gazette,'^ in 1729, and by its aid soon made 
his influence felt, taking an active part in all that 
went on in the city. 

Franklin's Activity. — The old issue of paper-money 
had been largely redeemed and more was asked for. 
Franklin was active in advocating it and his aid in 
doing so got him the contract for printing the new 
issue. In 1736 he was made clerk of the Assembly, 



GOVERNOR GORDON'S ADMINISTRATION 



55 



a position of political influence. There are two other 
things that Franklin did of importance. In 1731 
he got his friends to deposit in one place all the 
books they could spare, and this was the beginning 
of the Philadelphia Library, now one of the best 
in the United States. In the next year, 1732, he 
began to publish his ^^Poor Eichard's Almanac," 
the most famous almanac that ever appeared. This 
was a good record for a young man of twenty-six. 





The State House or Independence Hall. 



The State-House Built. — The building of the famous 
State House of Philadelphia was ordered in 1729, 
during Gordon's administration. The Assembly had 
by this time grown to be much too important a body 
to continue its meetings in private houses and the 
Quaker meeting-houses, as in its former career. The 
time had come for it to have a building of its own. 
Work was begun on this edifice in 1732 and it 
was completed in 1741, except some finishing touches 



56 THE EARLY HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

left till 1745. A part of it was ready for the Assem 
bly in 1735. Previously it had been the custom to 
use a bell to call the Assembly together, all who were 
not present in half an hour after it rang being 
fined ''a tenpenny bit." In 1750 a staircase was 
ordered to be added to the State House, and also a 
place where a bell might be hung. A bell was 
ordered from London, which was to bear the striking 
inscription ' ' Proclaim liberty throughout the land, to 
all the inhabitants thereof." This it did in 1776 and 
it is now America's much loved 
"Liberty Bell," while the old 
State House is now the equally 
esteemed "Independence Hall." 
John and Thomas Penn. — T h e 
death of Mrs. Penn, in 1733, 
ended Governor Gordon's author- 
ity, according to the opinion of the 
Assembly, but a new commission 
was sent him, signed by her sons, 
John, Thomas, and Richard, un- 

JoHN Penn. ' ' ' 

der which his power was re- 
stored. In the year before his mother's death, 
Thomas Penn came to Pennsylvania, eager no doubt 
to see the great province beyond the Atlantic. He 
was met at Chester by Governor Gordon and a. large 
number of gentlemen, and Philadelphia welcomed 
him with the thunder of cannon and ringing of bells. 
More than thirty years had passed since William 
Penn had left the province and this young member of 
the family, while different from his dissolute brother 
William, lacked the courtly bearing of his father 
and was not his father's equal in other respects. 




RULE OF LOGAN AND THOMAS 57 

His brother Jolm came over in 1734, and liacl a 
like hearty reception. He did not stay long, however, 
for he learned that Lord Baltimore was seeking to 
gain possession of Delaware, declaring that it was 
part of Maryland. John hnrried back to contest this 
claim, but Thomas remained nntil 1741. A man of 
business, he looked on Pennsylvania as a valuable 
estate which should be made to yield as much as 
possible. John Penn died in 1746. "We are not told 
when Richard died, but Thomas was left 'the chief 
proprietor of the province, which in time gave him 
great wealth. 

Death of Gordon. — Governor Gordon died in 1736, 
at the advanced age of ninety-two. It was a. great 
age for a man to hold so responsible a position, but 
during his ten years of service life had moved 
serenely with him and he had won the esteem of all 
Avitli whom he had to deal. A man of Idndly, gentle 
nature, he had kept free from the discord which 
attended the careers of those who came before^ and 
after. 

5. RULE OF LOGAN AND THOMAS. 

Logan as President. — The death of Governor Gor-- 
idon left Pennsylvania without a governor for two 
years. James Logan, William Penn's agent in 
America, and the staunch friend of the proprietors, 
was then president of the Council, and as such he 
took control of the province until a new governor 
should be appointed. Evidently the sons of Penn 
were satisfied with him, for they made no haste to 
replace him. But there could be no law-making, 
according to the charter, without a governor to' sign 
file bills. So, though the Assembly met as usual, no 



58 THE EARLY HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

laws were passed. All it could do was to advise 
and aid Logan in liis duties. 

A Border War. — During Logan's term of office 
there was trouble on the disputed border between 
the domains of Penn and Lord Baltimore. No one 
living in this region could tell whether he was in 
Pennsylvania or Maryland. Thus some Germans 
who had settled beyond the Susquehanna thought at 
first that their farms were in Maryland. Then they 
changed their minds and decided that they lived in 
Pennsylvania and owed no duties to Maryland. 

This led to a sharp contest. At first the sheriff of 
Baltimore set out with three hundred men to drive 
the Germans from their farms. But when they found 
that the sheriff of Lancaster County was out with a 
stronger force they marched home again. Another 
invasion of this kind led to a fight, in which one man 
was killed and the leader of the Marylanders 
wounded and captured. Several Germans were then 
seized and, taken to Baltimore as hostages for Cres- 
sap, the captive. There were other conflicts in which 
men were wounded and taken prisoners, the petty 
war keeping up for about a year. 

The King's Order. — The news of this state of affairs 
reached England and in 1737 there came an order 
from the king that all such conflicts should be 
stopped by the governments of the two provinces.. 
Yet border fights went on till in the end the Penns 
and Baltimores made a compromise in London, and 
word was sent to America that these useless fights 
must cease. But many years were to elapse before 
the border question was finally settled. 



RULE OF LOGAN AND THOMAS 59 

Governor Thomas Appointed. — Logan's administra- 
tion ended in the appointment of George Thomas, a 
planter of Antigna, in the West Indies, as governor 
of Pennsylvania. In 1738 he reached Philadelphia 
and entered npon his duties. He came at a time 
when the era of peace was near its end and war was 
close at hand. And Thomas was a very different 
man from Gordon. Hasty in temper, he soon stirred 
up trouble for which there was no need. England 
declared war against Spain in 1739, but before this 
declaration was made Thomas sent a message to the 
Assembly demanding that it should vote for money 
and men to defend the province. 

The Assembly Declines. — The Quakers were no 
longer in the majority in the province, but they still 
were in large majority in the Assembly, and they had 
the same feeling about war as of old. War was 
declared while the debate went on, but Thomas had 
not succeeded in getting money voted for war when 
the Assembly adjourned in 1740. 

Pay for the Troops. — Governor Thomas now took 
the law into his own hands and raised a company of 
troops for three months. Many of these were '^re- 
demptioners,'' men who were working out their 
passage money, and who thought in this way they 
could get rid of this obligation. In the next session 
the Assembly voted three thousand pounds for tlie 
king's use, but on the condition that these servants 
should be discharged from the troops and no more 
of them be enlisted. The governor would or could 
not consent to this and he angrily vetoed the bill. 

In the next session the Assembly voted twenty- 



eo THE EARLY HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

five hnndred ponnds to pay tlie master? who kad lost 
their servants. As peace soon came between Eng- 
land and Spain, this should have ended the matter 
had not both sides been angry and stnblx)rn. The 
feeling was made worse by a letter written to Lon- 
don by Governor Thomas, in which he found bitter 
fault with the Quakers. A copy of this was sent back 
by the agent of the province and fell into the hands 
of members of the Assembly. Their wrath was 
great and the whole province was in a ferment. 

An Election Riot. — All this led to a sharp contest 
in the Assembly election of 1742. There were two 
parties in the field, the ''Gentlemen's i^arty," which 
^upported the governor and was strong in the city, 
and the "Country j^arty.'- on the side of the As- 
sembly, which had a majority in the rural section. 

On election day a large number of Germans came 
into the city to supjwrt the Assembly. The other 
party brought a body of seventy sailors from the 
shirks in the harbor. These marched through the 
market, knocking down all who came in their way. 
TVhen the poll was opened for the election the sailors 
mounted the stairs leading to the voting room and 
drove off the voters of the Country party with clubs. 
This was more than the Germans would bear. Seiz- 
ing what weapons they could find, they rushed on 
the sailors and drove them away. Fifty were cap- 
tured and locked up in the jaiL The others fled to 
their ships. When the vote was counted it was 
found that the Country party had elected all tbe old 
members of the Assembly and completely defeated 
their opponents. 



RULE OF LOGAX AND THOMAS Gl 

Peaceful Conditions. — The result of the election 
brought on a state of peace and harmony. The 
governor had been badly defeated and from that 
time he acted in a different way. Pie signed bills 
which he had before refused, and the Assembly paid 
up his salary which they had held back. The quar- 
rels were at an end and peace continued during the 
remainder of Thomas's term. 



^ 




p. 






W^ 


m^^-. - ■•_..--'• ..s 


^^^W^ 



An Election bcKNE in Early I^hiladklphia. 

The Lands of the Indians. — It proved difficult to 
keep white settlers from occupying lands belonging 
to the Indians. All the land bought by AYilliam Penn 
and his agent James Logan had been paid for in 
blankets, ammunition, and other goods that satisfied 
the red men. Thougli these were usually drunk at 
the time of the trade they were never cheated, and 
felt that they had been treated fairly. The various 
purchases extended from Duck Creek in Delaware 



(52 THE EARLY HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

to the ''Forks of the Delaware," at the place where 
this river is joined by the Lehigh. 

The Indians had given title to all this, but just to 
the north lay tlie fertile district occupied by the 
Minisink, or Wolf, tribe of the Delawares, and this 
region the red men claimed as their own. Logan 
warned all settlers to keep out of this land, but this 
they were not disposed to do. The Penns had sold a 
tract of ten thousand acres, to be taken up in any 
unsettled part of the province, and land speculators 
chose the Minisink country. Plots of land were 
drawn for in a lottery and many settlers went there, 
in defiance of the Indian claim. 

The Walking Purchase. — To gain title to this land 
a base trick was played upon the Indians in 1737, 
one that they never forgave. Thomas Penn agreed 
to it, and by doing so brought deep disgrace uj^on 
his name. We have spoken of the tradition of 
William Penn's "three days' walk," which was only 
half taken. An old deed, or a copy of one, was 
found, in which the three days ' walk was spoken of, 
and the Indians were quite ready to agree to the 
remaining day and a half's walk. It was to begin 
at Wrightstown in Bucks County, and run north- 
ward in a line parallel to the Delaware River. 

The simple-minded savages supposed that the 
walk would be made in the easy-going way taken by 
William Penn, with stops to rest and chat. But they 
had now to deal with a man of different character. 
Walkers were advertised for, prizes being offered 
to the one who should walk the farthest in the given 
time. The governor was to select three and the 
Indians three others. 



RULE OF LOGAN AND THOMAS 



63 



Everything was done to make the walk a long one. 
Tree« were marked to guide the walkers, underbrush 
was cut away, food was placed along the road, and 
horsemen followed the walkers, with liquors and 
other refreshments. On the first day one of the 
whites was tired out and before sunset the Indian 
walkers left in disgust, saying that they were being 
cheated. ^^No sit down to smoke, '^ they said; '^no 
shoot a squirrel; but run, run, all day." 

At noon of the second day one of the walkers had 
reached a point sixty or seventy miles above the 
starting point and thirty miles north of the Lehigh 
River, far beyond the Lehigh hills, the expected 
stopping point. To make the fraud worse, the line 
from the point reached to the Delaware slanted far 
upwards to the northwest, thus taking in all the 
Minisink lands. 

The Indians Refuse to Leave.— The Indians, feeling 
that they had been grossly cheated, refused to give 
up their homes. They sent word that the lands were 
theirs, they were being robbed of them, and they 
would fight anyone who tried to take them. Thomas 
Penn knew well that the Assembly would not sup- 
port him in his base trick and did not ask for a 
military force to help him drive out the Delawares. 
He took another plan. The Iroquois Indians claimed 
that the Delawares had been conquered by them 
and were their subjects, so a council was held at 
Philadelphia in 1742 at which chiefs of the various 
Iroquois tribes were present. 

The Delawares Ordered Out.— The chiefs were 
entertained for several days and valuable presents 
given them. As might be supposed, they decided 



64 



THE EARLY HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



in favor of the whites, and harshly ordered the 
Delawares to remove. 

^'How came you to sell land at alir ' said the Iro- 
quois sachem. ^'We conquered you. We made 
women of you. You know you are women and can no 
more sell land than women. You ought to be taken 
by the hair of your head and shaken until you re- 
cover your senses. You are women, take the advice 
of a wise man and remove at once. We give you two 
places to go to, Wyoming or Shamokin. Do not 
deliberate but move away and take this belt of 
wampum. ' ' 

The Outcome of the Walking Purchase.— The 
Delawares could not resist their two powerful ene- 
mies. They had to obey these harsh orders. But 
they were determined to be ''women'' no longer. 
They had kept peace and honor with the whites and 
had been basely robbed of their ancestral lands. 
The time was coming and was near at hand when 
they would repay the false whites in blood for this 
base treatment. 

War Declared.— In 1744 war was declared between 
England and France. As usual, it extended to 
America, and the people of the colonies took an 
active part in it. The war did not extend to Penn- 
sylvania, but Governor Thomas thought it best to be 
ready. This time he did not ask the Assembly for 
aid, but by the help of Franklin raised a force of ten 
thousand men. These were to be armed at their own 
expense and choose their own officers. Franklin 
was selected as colonel of the Philadelphia regi- 
ment, but was unable to serve. One thing of inter- 



RULE OF LOGAN AND THOMAS 



65 



est done by liim was to design a Pennsylvania flag 
for the use of the regiments. On it was the shield 
of the province and a lion holding a scimitar. 

The Governor Resigns. — In 1746 ill health caused 
Governor Thomas to resign. Since the end of his 
hostile relations with the Assembly he had got along 




Penn Teeaty Wampum Belt. 



very well with it and a longer stay on his part would 
have been acceptable. For the succeeding three 
years the province got along without a governor, 
under Anthony Palmer, president of the council; 
then, in 1749, a new governor was appointed. 



6(3 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 

PART II 
QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 

1. Whom did Penn leave as liis agent in 1684? Describe how 
books and schools were provided. What quarrels broke out and 
who was made governor in 1693? What is said about pirates in 
the Delaware ? Describe the new Constitution given by Penn. When 
was Philadelphia made a city? How were crimes dealt with? What 
was used by the people in place of money? 

2. What was the state of affairs in Philadelphia in 1701? How 
did William Penn's son act? What foolish things were done by 
Governor Evans? How did the Quakers act about war and oaths? 
When did Penn die? 

3. To whom did William Penn leave his estate? What was 
the condition of affairs in Pennsylvania in 1718? What was the 
character of Governor Keith? What is meant by redemptioners ? 
In what way was money provided for the people ? Tell how 
Benjamin Franklin was treated by Governor Keith. What led to 
Keith losing his place? 

4. What governor succeeded Keith? \Vhat is said about Frank- 
lin? Where were the State-house built and the Liberty Bell made? 
When did Tliomas and John Penn come to Pennsylvania? 

5. Describe the border fight between the settlers of Pennsylvania 
and Maryland. How did Governor Thomas raise troops? What 
led. to an election riot in 1742? Tell the story of the "walking 
purchase." How were the Delaware Indians treated? In what way 
were troops obtained in the war of 1744-46? 



PART III. 
WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS. 



1. GOVERNOR HAMILTON'S ADMINISTRATION. 

A Realm of Peace. — During the early period of the 
history of Pennsylvania, with which we have so far 
dealt, Penn^s province remained free from the hor- 
ror of war. Elsewhere in the colonies there had been 
strife and bloodshed, but here the dove of peace had 
spread its wings, even the Indian natives being* 
friendly and docile, and not fighting savagely for 
their homes and rights as in other parts of the 
country. The love of peace and hatred of war by the 
Friends had here grown in fertile soil, but the time 
was at hand when this reign of peace would end and 
war fall on Penn's happy province with all its terrors 

A Reign of Prosperity. — During the years of quiet 
progress the population of Pennsylvania had stead- 
ily grown and wealth and prosperity increased. 
Philadelphia had become the leading city in the 
country; its business was in a flourishing condition, 
and the multitude of ships at its wharves gave evi- 
dence of a rich foreign trade. Within thirty years, 
from 1720 to 1750, the number of vessels sailing from 
this busy city increased from less than a hundred to 
more than four hundred, while its imports became 
ten times as great and its exports over three times 
as great. 

In the rural regions the farming population were 

67 



68 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

happy and thriving, owning their own lands and 
finding a good market for all they could raise. There 
was a growing trade with the western Indians, who 
wanted the goods that the white men had to sell, 
and the demand for labor was so great that wages 
had not fallen, though within twenty years the popu- 
lation had nearly doubled and thirty thousand work- 
ing men had come into the province. 

New Land Purchases.— In the earlier liistory of 
Pennsylvania the settlements had been in the eastern 
part of the province, only the hardy hunters and 
pioneers pushing farther west. These were chiefly 
made up of the Scotch-Irish, a bold and daring 
people who cared nothing for the Quaker doctrine 
of peace with all men and were ever ready to fight 
their way, whether their quarrel was right or wrong. 
But even these had not crossed the western moun- 
tains, and this part of Penn's province was still free 
from white settlements. 

But the tide of pioneer travel was moving in that 
direction and to provide for it a purchase of land was 
made in 1754, this time from the Iroquois Indians, 
then lords of the soil. This included all the coun- 
try south and west of a line from Shamokin to Lake 
Erie, for which the small sum of four hundred 
pounds was paid. This was another wrong done to 
the Indians of Pennsylvania, whose native realm 
was thus sold by the tribes of New York without 
their consent. It added to their hatred of the whites 
and their thirst for revenge. 

Governor Hamilton. — In 1749, as already stated, a 
new governor was appointed by the Penn family, this 



GOVERNOR HAMILTON'S ADMINISTRATION 69 

beins: James Hamilton, the son of Andrew Hamilton, 



at that day the most eminent lawyer in the colonies. 
He had a serious task before liim, a more difficult 
one than any of tlie former governors had met. 
Tribes of savage Indians were waiting, tomahawk 
in hand, for the time when they could fall on those 
who had robbed them of their homes. And the 
French, who claimed the Ohio Valley, were getting 
ready for a contest for its 
possession which was soon 
to come. 

Death of Logan. — James 
Logan, who had come to 
Philadelphia with William 
Penn in 1699 and had been 
a leader in all political and 
other movements in the 
province, died in 1751, at 
the age of eighty-seven 
years. He was so import- 
ant in the province that during much of the time he 
was the real governor and his Quaker principles were 
so strong as to make him disliked by the popular 
party. 

He cared little for this, living for his work and 
his books. He was a learned man, able to converse 
in several languages, was a scientist and philoso- 
pher, and during his long life had collected a library 
of the best editions of the best books of his time 
on art, science, and many other subjects. Of tliese 
he left three thousand volumes to the city and they 
still form a valuable section of the Philadelphia 
Librarv. 




70 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

Franklin in the Assembly. — Benjamin Franklin, who 
had been the clerk of the Assembly for fifteen years, 
was elected a member of that body in 1751. With 
his keen insight into affairs, his good judgment, and 
his activity in practical matters he quickly became 
a leading member, and for years he drafted nearly 
all the State papers for the Assembly, besides taking 
a prominent part in all measures for the public good. 

The Albany Congress. — Franklin was a prominent 
member of a congress of the colonies held at Albany 
in 1754. Its purpose was to consider the question 
of the Indian relations to the colonies, but it went 
much farther than this. Some plan of mutual de- 
fence of the colonies was needed, and several of the 
members brought plans with them. Of these, the one 
brought by Franklin was accepted as the best. He 
gave it a pictorial interest by drawing a sketch of a 
snake cut into thirteen sections. Under it was the 
motto, ^' Unite or die." This was to show how weak 
each section of the thirteen colonies would be if 
working by itself; how strong they would be if all 
united into one. 

He proposed a union of the colonies, with a grand 
council chosen by their legislatures and a president 
appointed by the king, these to have charge of all 
general affairs, but not of the local affairs of the 
colonies. It failed to pass, being opposed by the 
king as giving too much power to the colonies. 
Twenty- two years later, in 1776, Franklin proposed 
a similar measure in the Continental Congress and 
the Union of the States became the law of the land. 

Movements of the French.— By 1750 the Ohio Valley 



GOVERNOR HAMILTON'S ADMINISTRATION 71 

became a prize soiigiit by tlie French and English 
alike. In that year the Ohio company, formed in 
Virginia and Pennsylvania, sent out surveyors to 
explore the Ohio, and a party of French troops were 
also sent who seized some English traders, took their 
property, and sent them to France. In 1753 the 
French began to build forts in western Pennsylva- 
nia, one at Presque Isle, on Lake Erie, one at Le 
Boeuf (now Waterford), and one at Venango (now 
Franklin), on the Alleghany River. 

Washington's Journey. — These movements first 
brought into notice George Washington, then a 
young man of twenty-one. He was an officer in the 
Virginia militia, and the governor of Virginia, who 
knew him for a man of ability, sent him out 
through the wilderness to warn the officers in those 
forts that they were on land belonging to the Eng- 
lish. It was a long and dangerous journey which 
Washington had to make, much of it through the 
mountain wilderness of western Pennsylvania. 
Here he met and talked with chiefs of the Indians, 
trying to win them over to the English cause. As 
for the French, they refused to retire. While at the 
forts he saw that they had ready a large number of 
canoes, in which they intended to go down the Alle- 
ghany River when the coming spring cleared it of 
ice. 

Fort Duquesne. — In Washington's journey he had 
noted the spot where the Alleghany and Mononga- 
hehi rivers join to form the Ohio. This point, where 
Pittsburgh now stands, was a splendid place for a 
fort, since it commanded the navigation of these 



72 



WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 



rivers. He reported what lie had seen and a party 
of workmen were sent there to build a fort early in 
1754. They had not long been at work when the 
French soldiers came down the Alleghany in their 
canoes. They also knew the value of this place, the 
^^ Gateway of the West," as it has been called, so 




The Fort Duquesne Campaign. 

they drove away the British workmen, seized their 
partly built fort, and finished it for themselves, 
naming it Fort Duquesne. 

A Virginia Expedition. — A party of troops was now 
marching from Virginia towards this place, under 
Colonel Frye and Major Washington. Colonel Frye 
died on the route, so the command of the expedition 



GOVERNOR HAMILTON'S ADMINISTRATION 73 

was left to young Wasliington. Governor Hamilton 
had tried hard to get the Pennsylvania Assembly 
to send troops to take part in this expedition, but its 
members refused to do so, saying that there was no 
proof that Pennsylvania had been invaded. 

The First Shot of the War. — Washington had only 
four hundred men and the French had reached the 
spot sought before him. Also they were in stronger 
force, and had sent out a reconnoitering party to 
learn what the English were doing. Washington 
met these, and as they were hiding in the woods, 
and seemed to have hostile intentions, he ordered 
his men to fire. The leader of the French, Jumon- 
ville, was slain. This was the first shot fired and the 
first man killed in one of the most important wars 
of that period. 

Fort Necessity. — ^Washington soon learned that the 
French were too strong for him and he found it 
necessary to retreat, as they were advancing to- 
wards him in much larger numbers. For twelve 
miles the Virginians made their way back over the 
Alleghanies, dragging their supplies by hand, and 
their ammunition by the aid of a few horses. On 
July 1 the place known as Great Meadows, in south- 
west Pennsylvania, was reached, and here a log 
stockade was thrown up. This he called Fort Neces- 
sity. Two days later the woodland fort was sur- 
rounded by a party of French and Indians, fifteen 
hundred strong. 

The End of the Campaign. — An attack began which 
lasted from ten in the morning until nightfall. By 
this time Washington's ammunition was nearly 



74 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

gone. The French now asked for a parley and 
offered terms, which the young commander was 
obliged to accept. He and his men were to retain 
their arms and return to their homes. On the next 
morning the troops marched out, with beating drums 
and waving flags, and set out on their long home- 
ward march. It is of interest that this took place 
on the 4th of July, 1754, just twenty-two years be- 
fore the Declaration of Independence. 

In which colony all this took place was then in 
doubt. The Pennsylvania Assembly declared that 
their province had not been invaded, and in fact 
Virginia at that time and for twenty years after- 
wards claimed the Pittsburgh locality, though later 
it was decided to lie in Pennsylvania. 

Hamilton Resigns. — Governor Hamilton by this 
time was growing thoroughly tired of his position, 
that of a go-between of the Penns and the Assembly, 
neither of whom he was able to please. He, there- 
fore, decided to resign and leave the difficult post for 
some one fonder of fighting than he was. 

When he heard of what had happened at Fort 
Necessity he had called the Assembly into session, 
but found it impossible to have a money bill passed. 
Neither side was willing to accept the terms of the 
other. Accordingly he gladly laid down his office, 
handing it over to his successor, Eobert Hunter 
Morris, who reached Pennsylvania in early October, 
1754. All through the war the same trouble con- 
tinued, the heirs of William Penn refusing to let 
their lands be taxed and thus tying the hands of the 



GOVERNOR MORRISES ADMINISTRATION 



75 



2. GOVERNOR MORRIS'S ADMINISTRATION. 
The Governor and the Money Bills. — Eobert Plunter 
Morris, the new Governor of Pennsylvania, was the 
son of a former governor of New Jersey, and in 
disposition was ill fitted for the position, for he 
was high-tempered and greatly given to qnarrel with 
the Assembly. War had at length come to Pennsyl- 
vania, money mnst be had, but the two parties, the 




McKnit' 



•'"'^^^^SiSSF 



Head- Waters of the Allegheny River. 




governor and the Assembly, found it hard to agree. 
The first dispute was, as usual, on a money bill. 
The governor demanded supplies. for the king's ser- 
vice, but when a bill was passed he refused to accept 
it, as its terms did not please him as an agent of the 
Penns. lie made fresh demands, and in the end the 
Assembly voted a supply of five thousand pounds to 
meet imperative needs. 



76 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

Gathering of the Forces. — Former wars in tlie 
colonies had begun in Europe and made their way to 
America. The war now before the people was the 
first to begin in the colonies and there was danger of 
its being a long and ruinous one. When the news 
of what bad taken place in western Pennsylvania 
reached England, the government at once decided to 
send troops to America, and Major-General Brad- 
dock was despatched with two regiments. He was 
directed to raise two more regiments in America. 
The French were equally wide-awake and had 
already collected a force of six thousand men in 
Canada, regulars, militia, and Indians, to occupy 
the Ohio country. Six regiments, numbering about 
three thousand men, were quickly sent from France. 

Braddock's March. — The story of Braddock and his 
men may very properly be told here, from the fact 
that his famous defeat took place on Pennsylvania 
soil. The horses and wagons he needed were also ob- 
tained in Pennsylvania, Franklin getting the farmers 
to supply them on his promise to see that they were 
paid. The farmers trusted Franklin's word and 
gave him what lie asked for, though the debt proved 
serious to liim afterwards. 

The march of Braddock was a slow one. Setting 
out from Alexandria, Virginia, on April 8, 1755, it 
was July 8 before he reached the fatal point near 
Fort Duquesne where the French and their Indian 
allies awaited him. He had gone about three miles a 
day, making a road as he went, ^'halting,'' as Wash- 
ington said, "to level every mole hill and to erect 
bridges over every brook." 



GOVERNOR MORRIS'S ADMINISTRATION 77 

Braddock's Defeat.— Braddock had in all about 2250 
men, partly Virginians. Washington was on his 
statT, but the obstinate and conceited English gen- 
eral would take no advice from an American, think- 
ing he was past teaching in the art of war. He paid 
dearly for his lack of sense and judgment, and the 
people paid more dearly. A force of not more 
than nine hundred French and Indians awaited him 




Bbaddock*s Defeat. 

But they fired from behind trees while Braddock 
kept his men in the open, a fair mark for their 
bullets. The poor fellows fell fast before the hidden 
foe, while their own bullets were wasted on the air. 
In the end the self-willed Braddock received a fatal 
wound and the men broke and fled in wild panic. 
Washington and the Virginians fought under cover, 
in the Indian fashion, but they were not strong 



78 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

-enough to stop the retreat, and the great expedition, 
which was expected to drive the French from tlie 
valley of the Ohio, was foiled by a handful of men. 

Indian Warfare. — Pennsylvania had so far been 
free from the horrors of Indian warfare. Now it 
w^as to become the victim of the merciless savage. 
Through all the frontier the blaze of burning build- 
ings could be seen and the shrieks of women and 
children could be heard. The Indians made their 
way through the thinly settled regions, leaving death 
and ruin in their track. Crossing the mountains, 
they sought the eastern settlements. The Moravians 
and the Christian Indians under their care at Gna- 
denhutten were killed. The Minisinks made their 
way back to their old home region, of which they had 
heen robbed by the treacherous ^'walking purchase,'' 
and took payment for their wrongs in the savage 
Indian fashion. Everywhere bloodshed and terror 
ruled. 

A Vote of Money. — Those of the dwellers on the 
frontier who escaped the tomahawk and scalping 
l^nife of the Indians fled eastward, praying for help 
and protection. But the old trouble between the 
governor and the Assembly stood in the way. The 
Assembly voted fifty thousand pounds for the king's 
Tise, but the governor would not accept it, as the 
estates of the Penns, which were now of great value, 
were to be taxed. This he had been ordered not 
to permit. Nothing could be done to break the dead- 
lock until the Penn family in England, finding them- 
selves bitterly condemned on both sides of the ocean, 
offered to give five thousand pounds for purposes of 



GOVERNOR MORRIS'S ADMINISTRATION 70^ 

defence. This for tlie time ended the difficulty and 
a new vote gave money enongh to meet the pressing 
demands. 

The Indians Approach Philadelphia. — It was high 
time for something to be done. The hostile Indians 
had crossed the Blue Eidge and reached the Susque- 
hanna, from which they ravaged the neighboring 
counties, some of their scalping parties coming 
within thirty miles of Philadelphia. Nazareth and 
Bethlehem were in their hands, and there they took 
their prisoners and plunder. The mangled bodies 
of a murdered family were brought to Philadelphia 
and even placed in the doorway of the Assembly 
building to induce that body to act. 

Franklin in the Field.— A militia law prepared by 
Franklin was now passed, and under this he raised 
a volunteer force of about five hundred men and led 
them to Bethlehem. Here he roughed it with the 
men through the winter, becoming very popular with 
them. He built a number of forts, and in the end 
a line of forts was built circling from the Delaware 
Eiver to the Maryland line. These, with a large 
number of blockhouses and stockades, at length gave 
protection to the frontier. They were garrisoned 
by the militia, some of them being in the mountains, 
where they commanded the principal passes. Many 
of the settlers sought shelter in these forts, taking 
their rifles with them to the fields in the morning 
and returning for safety at night. Sentinels were 
often stationed to guard the farmers against Indian 
marauders. 

End of Quaker Government. — Hitherto the Quakers 



80 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

liad been in large majority in the government, but 
a change in this was near at hand. The end came 
when the governor and council, in the spring of 1756, 
declared war against the Delawares and Shawnees 
and ottered rewards for Indian scalps. At this 
brutal order six Quaker members of the Assembly 
at once resigned, and during the year several others 
withdrew, leaving only twelve Quakers in that body. 
They never gained the majority again. 

Colonel Armstrong's Feat. — While the whites were 
gradually regaining control in the east of the prov- 
ince, a decisive military step was taken in the west. 
An expedition led by Colonel Armstrong marched 
against the Indian town of Kittaning, on the Alle- 
gheny, twenty-five miles above Fort Duquesne. This 
was the stronghold of Captain Jacobs, the most 
active of the Indian chiefs. 

The weather being hot, many of the Indians were 
sleeping in a cornfield near the town. The troops 
came up at daybreak, routed these and drove them 
into the town, and as they would not surrender, set 
fire to their huts. Many of the savages were killed, 
others perished in the flames, and Captain Jacobs 
himself was shot as he leaped from a window. In 
the town eight white prisoners were found, who said 
that the Indians had enough powder, given them by 
the French, to last them ten years. This was cap- 
tured, with large amounts of other stores. It was a 
severe blow to the savages, and Colonel Armstrong 
received a medal from the council for his valuable 
victory. 

Quieting the Indians. — Meanwhile the Quaker peace- 



GOVERNOR DENNY AND THE END OF THE WAR 81 

lovers were doing what they could to overcome by 
gentler means the hostility of the Delawares and 
Shawnees, and if possible to regain the confidence 
of the Indians. A treaty was held in Easton, in 
which the great chief Tedyuscung stamped his foot 
and exclaimed, ' ^ The very ground on which we stand 
was dishonestly taken from us." Yet he was in- 
duced to become a Christian and use his influence 
on the side of peace, and many of the Indians were 
pacified by presents given them. 

A New Governor. — Governor Morris had held office 
at a difficult time, and made matters worse for him- 
self by his constant quarrels with the Assembly, 
which in return refused to vote money for his salary. 
He also had made himself greatly disliked by the 
people. Evidently his usefulness in this office had 
ceased, and in 1756 he was replaced by a new govern- 
or, William Denny, who, however, under the cir- 
cuixLstances, was not likely to prove more satisfactory. 

3. GOVERNOR DENNY AND THE END OF THE WAR. 

Governor Denny. — The people, who were tired of 
Governor Morris, joyfully welcomed Denny, their 
new governor, on his arrival in Philadelphia. A re- 
ception was given him by the city government and he 
was met at the State House by the former governor, 
the mayor, officials, and citizens. Here he was 
richly entertained and a present made him of six 
hundred pounds. This could not have been alto- 
gether pleasant to Governor Morris, to whom the 
Assembly had refused to pay the money justly due 
him. But it was found that the new governor was 
6 



82 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

no easier to deal witli than the old. He had been 
instructed by the proprietaries, the Penn family, 
just how they desired him to act, and he came to 
Pennsylvania with instructions not likely to be 
agreeable to the inhabitants of that province. 

Thomas and Richard Penn. — Penn's sons, Thomas 
and Eichard, who were now the proprietaries of 
Pennsylvania, were very different from their father. 
They had not his strength of mind nor his high 
principles, and they had left the Societ}^ of Friends 
and joined the Church of England, a fact which did 
not make them popular in their province, where 
Quaker influence was still strong. They looked on 
Pennsylvania as a sort of gold mine, to be worked 
for their benefit, and Denny was forced to act in 
their interest more than in that of the people. It 
was plain enough that the old quarrel was to be 
kept up. 

The Assembly, indeed, was highly indignant at the 
demands of the Penns. It passed a bill taxing the 
property of the people one hundred thousand 
pounds, but it was obliged to exempt the estates 
of the prox^rietaries, since the governor would not 
agree to the bill in any other form. This led to a 
report, written by Franklin, in which he plainly 
showed the injustice of this exemption. 

Franklin in England. — The Assembly now sent 
Franklin to England as its agent to do what he could 
to remedy the condition of affairs. He was to nego- 
tiate with the Penns and try and win them over to 
some reasonable plan of taxation, but he did not 
succeed in this. He had also the London papers to 



GOVERNOR DENNY AND THE END OF THE WAR §3 



deal with, for tliey were printing unfair articles 
about the peojDle of Pennsylvania, accusing them of 
being hostile to the rights of the king and the pro- 
prietaries, and of refusing to raise money for the 
public service while the savages were raiding the 
frontier. 

Franklin answered these articles in his able way 
and showed how unjust they were. lie also wrote 
^^An Historical Eeview of the Constitution and 
(xovernment of Pennsylvania. ' ' 
Wliile one-sided, it was a very 
able paper, defending the cause 
of the people and censuring the 
proprietaries, even William 
Penn himself. It had a good 
effect on public opinion in Lon- 
don, but it did not induce the 
Penns to change their demands. 
They were still determined 
that their property should not 
be taxed. 

Franklin Before the Privy 
Council.— When the tax bill passed by the Assembly 
came to England the questions at issue were brought 
before tlie Privy Council, the highest tribunal in the 
kingdom, whose members were the immediate ad- 
visers of the king. Before this august body Frank- 
lin and the Penns were heard. The latter were no 
match for Franklin, one of the ablest thinkers and 
reasoners of the age. He conducted the case with 
the greatest power and skill and finally won nearly 
all the points for which he contended. It was de- 




Benjamin Franklin. 



g4 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

cided by the Privy Coimcil that the governor should 
have a voice in the use of the public money, but that 
the surveyed and located estates of the Penns should 
be taxed to the same extent as those of other people. 

Thus ended the great fight, which had now gone 
on for many years. Franklin had won and his fame 
spread over all America. Others of the colonies en- 
gaged him to act for them in London and he did 
not return until 1762, when he had a very hearty 
welcome, as one of America's greatest statesmen. 

Expedition Against Fort Duquesne. — While these 
measures of peace were being taken, the war ex- 
tended over all the northern colonies. The French 
still held Fort Duquesne and by it controlled the Ohio 
Valley, and in 1758 a new expedition was sent to 
drive them out. This was led by General John 
Forbes, who was determined that it should not be 
another Braddock affair. Pennsylvania supplied 
him with a strong body of troops. Others came from 
the south and regulars were brought from England 
until Forbes had an army of 9000 men. As the 
colonial troops were to be paid by England there 
was now no trouble in getting all that were needed. 

Major Grant Repulsed. — The place known as Rays- 
town was reached in September, 1758, and Colonel 
Bouquet, a Swiss officer in the British service, moved 
on with 2500 men to the banks of the Loyalhanna, 
where he encamped to wait until Forbes should come 
up with the remaining forces. In order to learn the 
position of the enemy he sent forward a body of 800 
men under Major Grant. These were to observe the 
garrison at Fort Ligonier. When Grant came near 



GOVERNOR DENNY AND THE END OF THE WAR 85 

he thought he. could easily take the fort, and made an 
attack on it, but he was met by the French and 
Indians in ambush and came near repeating the 
story of Braddock. 

Only a force of about fifty Virginians, under Cap- 
tain Bullet, saved him from a complete defeat. Bul- 
let had been left to guard the baggage, but hearing 
of the repulse he marched hastily up, and when in 
position to see the state of affairs he played a 
shrewd trick on the Indians. He bade his men to 
march towards them with their arms reversed, as 
if ready to surrender. Then, when near enough, he 
gave an order at which his men turned their muskets 
and poured a deadly volley into the ranks of the 
savages. A bayonet charge followed that scattered 
the Indians in all directions and a safe retreat was 
made by Grant to Bouquet's camp. 

Bouquet's Camp Attacked. — The French and Indian 
forces quickly recovered from the repulse by Bullet 
and soon after attacked Bouquet's camp, firing on it 
from the surrounding woods. For four hours the 
battle raged around the woodland camp and was 
renewed at nightfall, but in the end the enemy was 
driven ofP and the English forces won their first 
victory in Pennsylvania. 

Forbes and Washington. — Forbes shortly afterwards 
came up, Washington being with him in command of 
the Virginians. But it was now mid-October, snow 
covered the tops of the trees, and he had nearly de- 
cided to cease the campaign, when he learned from 
some captives that the enemy was very weak, the 
French commander having only about 500 men. 



86 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

This good news set the army in motion again, 
Washington going in advance toward Fort Duquesne 
with his Virginia woodsmen. 

On reaching the fort it was found to be empty 
and in flames. The Indian allies had left the place, 
the garrison was too weak to hold it, and after 
throwing their cannon into the river and setting on 
iire all they could not carry, they retreated in their 



...^fe^. 




Easton's Busy Centre. 

canoes down the Ohio, leaving the fort to be occu- 
pied by Washington and his men. 

Fort Duquesne was at an end. Wlien rebuilt by 
the English it was named Fort Pitt, after the great 
English statesman. His name was afterwards given 
to Pittsburgh, the great city which rose on the site 
of the fort and the region surrounding. 

This success was largely due to a Moravian minis- 
ter named Frederick Post, who had gone among the 



THE PONTIAC CONSPIRACY 87 

Indians of tlie west on a mission of peace. In the 
very shadow of Fort Dnquesne, in imminent peril of 
capture or death, he made a treaty with the Dela- 
wares and Shawnees in which they agreed to become 
friends of the English and left the service of the 
Prench. 

An Indian Treaty. — A treaty was also made about 
the same time at Easton, three hundred chiefs being 
present. All that could be was done to satisfy the 
injured red men; no one ventured to say that the 
walking purchase was just, and in the end peace 
was made, many wampum belts being exchanged 
between the whites and the Indians. This ended the 
war so far as Pennsylvania was concerned and x)eace 
again settled upon Penn's province. 

Governor Denny Dismissed. — Governor Denny was 
now near the end of his career. He was a good 
deal of a spendthrift and though he was well paid 
for his services, the money slipped out of his hands. 
To obtain more he signed a bill for a new issue of 
paper money, and the Assembly voted him a liberal 
sum. But when the news that he had disobeyed 
their orders came to the ears of the Penns they 
immediately discharged him, and in October, 1759, 
James Hamilton, a former governor, was again 
chosen to fill the vacant place. 

4. THE PONTIAC CONSPIRACY. 

After the French War. — Pennsylvania had now a 

large population, Philadelphia, its capital, had 

grown to be the leading city in the colonies, and, 

the war being over, the province had plenty of 



88 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

money for all its needs. Peace in tlie country at 
large did not come until 1762, but war had fled from 
the fields of Penn's woodland province in 1758 and 
soon the old prosperity was restored. The clearings 
from which the settlers had fled were again occu- 
pied, the tide of civilization moved steadily toward 
the western borders, the sound of the axe was again 
heard in the frontier forest, and the promise of a 
prosperous, future was in the air. Such was the 
state of affairs during most of Governor Hamilton's 
second term of office, from 1759 to 1763, but before 
it ended a new war broke out. 

Pontiac, the Ottawa Chief.— While all was full of 
promise for the whites, the old owners of the soil 
found themselves being pushed year by year farther 
back and hatred of the whites was hot in their 
hearts. On the shores of the great lakes dwelt a 
tribe named the Ottawas, and Pontiac, their princi- 
pal chief, was a leader among the Indians. He had 
fought under the French against Braddock and 
other English generals, and he now refused to accept 
the peace which the white invaders offered. It was 
plain to his savage soul that the Indians were 
doomed if they did not strike for their lost rights, 
and to him it seemed that the time had come for a 
bold stroke. 

A Great Indian Council. — In 1763 Pontiac called a 
great secret council of the tribes, telling them that 
he was inspired by a sacred tradition to save them 
from destruction. They must no more trust the 
whites, use their tools, or drink their fire water. The 
English, who had driven out the French, were the 



THE PONTIAC CONSPIRACY 



89 



great enemies of the red men, and tlie time had come 
when they mnst be cut off root and branch. The blood- 
stained tomahawk and the war belt of wampum were 
sent to all the tribes from the lakes to the lower 
Mississippi and they were told that they must 
secretly prepare for an attack on the enemy in the 
month of June, 1763. All must take part and the 
hated white man must be destroyed. 



// 









J 



C 



«^*-i 



\7\ 
















\7 



Indian Rock Symbols. 



A Blaze of War. — June came, and suddenly war 
blazed along the whole frontier. Pennsylvania was 
invaded and of its twelve outlying forts, eight were 
taken by sudden attacks, while scalping parties 
spread along the whole border, carrying death and 
desolation to many happy households. 

The tomahawk first and the torch next was the 
order of the great chief. On all sides settlers were 
killed and their villages and farm houses burned. 
There was to be no quarter, all were to be destroyed, 



90 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

and the farmers everywhere fled in terror from their 
fields of ripening grain and souglit shelter in the 
border towns — Shippensburg, Carlisle, and others. 
Colonel Armstrong, of former fame, hastily set out 
with a body of volunteers to attack the Indian 
strongholds, but the warriors melted away before 
him to carry their ravages elsewhere. Far and wide 
they spread and soon all Pennsylvania west of the 
Susquehanna, except a few fortified places, was 
abandoned to the savages, the fugitive farmers 
crowding the towns and being fed by their people. 

Fort Pitt Besieged. — Among the frontier forts that 
held out was Fort Pitt, the old Fort Duquesne. A 
yelling mob of Indians surrounded this stronghold, 
all communications were cut off, and the garrison 
was fiercely besieged. Fortunately the savages had 
no siege implements and the fort was strong and 
well supplied. The best the besiegers could do was 
to make trenches and pick off the soldiers of the 
garrison, while seeking to starve out the defenders. 
But these knew well their fate if they should fall 
into Indian hands, and they fought on with the 
courage of heroes in peril. 

Colonel Bouquet's March. — Colonel Bouquet, who 
had commanded the vanguard of Forbes 's army 
in the late war, lost no time in setting out from 
Carlisle to the rescue of the fort. He led five hun- 
dred British regulars, but these had just returned 
from the "West Indies where they had been weak- 
ened by an enervating climate and the diseases of 
the tropics. Most of them were worn-out veterans, 
some so feeble that they had to be conveyed in 



THE PONTIAC CONSPIRACY 91 

wagons. And tliey were largely outnumbered by 
the Indians tliey had set out to meet. 

A Land of Desolation.— Fortunately Bouquet was 
no Braddock. He knew the Indians and their man- 
ner of fighting and was prepared to fight them in 




Plan of Fort Pitt and Outline of Fort Duquesne. 

the same way. Setting out from Carlisle on July 21, 
1763, he marched through a desolate country,^ where 
in manv places the harvests were growing wild, the 
reapers having fled for their lives or fallen victims 
to the red men's rage. Fort Ligonier was first 
occupied, the feeblest of his men being added to the 



92 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

garrison, and here Bouquet left his wagons, now 
carrying his stores by pack horses. As the little 
army marched wearily on it was evident that the 
enemy knew of its coming and awaited its onset. 
They gave up their siege of Fort Pitt and spread 
through the woods in front of this new enemy. 

The Indians Attack. — On August 5, a position was 
reached near the seat of Braddock's defeat. Here 
the troops came to a defile several miles long and 
shut in on both sides by high hills. Bouquet pro- 
posed to pass this danger point by a forced march 
in the night, but when close to its entrance the 
advance was checked by a sudden and savage attack. 
The Indians were upon them in force. All after- 
noon the troops fought bravely with a yelling host, 
but at night they were obliged to fall back to protect 
the convoy of supplies in the rear, which the Indians 
had attacked. 

A Timely Stratagem. — The next morning the con- 
voy of supplies was i")laced in the middle of the small 
body of troops, who formed a circle around it. Bou- 
quet had planned a skilful strategem to break the 
Indian attack. As the howling savages rushed for- 
ward, now sure of sweeping away this weak force, 
Bouquet ordered a feigned retreat of the centre of 
his line. The Indians rushed into the trap, toma- 
hawk and rifle in hand, but suddenly they found 
themselves flanked on both sides, a terrific fire being 
poured into their ranks. Wild terror succeeded 
their confident hopes. They broke and fled in panic, 
while Bouquet led his weary men in triumph to Fort 
Pitt. This old fort has long ago disappeared, but 



THE PONTIAC CONSPIRACY 



93 



a redoubt subsequently built by Bouquet still stands, 
a square stone building, with on it the inscription, 
^'Colonel Bouquet, a.d., 1764." 

The Murders Continue. — The coming of winter, 
when the troops went into winter quarters, was fol- 
lowed by new Indian raids and murders, the savages 




Bouquet's Block House, Pittsburgh. 



stealing through the woods, attacking the settlers at 
night, or burning houses and barns and slaughtering 
their helpless inmates while the men were at work 
in the fields. This naturally roused a bitter feeling 
against the Indians in general, even the few friendly 
ones who remained in the settlements, these being 
suspected of giving information to the hostile ones. 



94 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

This sentiment led to a foul deed, a sad blot on the 
history of Pennsylvania. 

The Conestoga Massacre. — There was a small Indian 
village in Lancaster County, the feeble remnants 
of the once powerful tribe of Conestogas, who had 
fallen away in numbers until only twenty remained, 
six of them men, the others women and children. 
They gained their living by making and peddling 
brooms and baskets. Suspicion fell on this helpless 
remnant and in December, 1763, the village was en- 
tered by a party of armed men from Paxton and 
Donegal townships, and the few found there were 
killed on the spot. 

The others were out selling brooms, and these, 
fourteen in number, were taken by the authorities 
to the jail at Lancaster, and locked up for protec- 
tion. But the '^Paxton Boys," as the murderers 
were called, rode into Lancaster, broke open the 
doors of the jail, and killed all those within. Then 
they mounted their horses in triumph and rode 
away. 

The Moravian Indians. — In the prevailing excite- 
ment no Indians, however harmless, were safe, and 
the Christian Indians at Bethlehem, under care of 
the Moravians, one hundred and forty in number, 
were hurriedly taken to Philadelphia. In the 
fear that they would not be safe even there they 
were sent to New York, but as the governor of that 
colony refused to receive them, they were brought 
back and put in barracks in the northern part of the 
city. Here the Quakers fed and cared for them. 

Philadelphia Threatened.— When the news that they 



THE PONTIAC CONSPIRACY 95. 

were back in Philadelpliia readied Lancaster a 
body of several hundred armed frontiersmen set 
ont for that city, declaring that they wonld kill them 
all, and the Quakers with them, if they stood in the 
way. In a few days they reached Germantown, 
north of the city, but when they learned that a strong 
military force and several thousand citizens were 
ready to meet them they halted to consider the task 
before them. Among those who turned out with 
arms in their hands were several hundred Quakers, 
mostly young men, who, though they did not approve 
of fighting, were ready to risk their lives to protect 
the innocent from slaughter. 

The End o£ the Foray. — As usual in times of stress, 
Dr. Franklin was called on to give his aid in the 
crisis. He went with a number of other men of 
prominence to Germantown, listened to the com- 
plaints of the borderers, and when they said that 
there were Indian murderers among the Mora- 
vians, asked them to send a party to the city to 
point out the murderers. This they were not able 
to do, and finding that the whole city was against 
them, the invaders mounted their horses and rode 
home again. Thus tamely ended the first siege of 
Philadelphia. 

Only one of the demands of the ^^Paxton Boys" 
was granted, and this was the brutal one of renewing 
the reward for Indian scalps, of men and women 
alike. Stranger still, the act was signed by a grand- 
son of William Penn, who had succeeded Hamilton 
as governor of the province. As for the Moravian 
Indians, they were kept in Philadelphia until the 



96 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

public excitement was at an end, and were then re- 
moved to Wyalusing, near Wyoming. A few years 
later they left that place for a new home beyond the 
Ohio and Pennsylvania knew them no more. 

The Cornplanter Indians. — We shall here close the 
story of the Indians of Pennsylvania., once so numer- 
ous, but of whom a mere fragment now remains. 
After the French and Indian War the northwest sec- 
tion of the State was known as the ' ' Indian coun- 
try," but all Indian titles were extinguished by the 
purchase of 1784, and there were no further hostili- 
ties after General Wayne's victory over the Indians 
of the West in 1794. After that only one chief re- 
mained in the State, Gyantwochin, or '' Corn- 
planter," who became a friend of the whites and was 
given permission to select 1,500 acres of land. He 
chose 640 acres on the West Branch of the Alle- 
ghany and two large adjoining islands in the river. 
His descendants, a hundred or more in number, still 
dwell there, the only Indians now in Pennsylvania. 
They farm their lands, and a school is pro\ided by 
the State for their children. 

5. SETTLING THE BOUNDARIES OF PENNSYLVANIA. 

Governor Penn Arrives. — In 1763 the province of 
Pennsylvania, for the first time since William Penn 
returned to England in 1701, gained a Penn as its 
governor. This was John Penn, a son of Richard 
and grandson of William Penn, who was chosen to 
succeed Governor Hamilton. He reached Philadel- 
phia on a iSunday in October, 1763, and it is notable 
that a severe earthquake shook the city on the day 



SETTLING BOUNDARIES OF PENNSYLVANIA 97 

he set foot on America's shores. He was received 
with what seemed a warm welcome, but in fact the 
people were weary of the greed of the descendants 
of the founder of the province, and the earthquake 
shock seemed significant of their real attitude. 

Money Troubles. — The war with the Indians was 
still going on when Governor Penn took control, and 
this led to the first sign of hostility. Money was 
needed to pay the troops and meet the expenses of 
warfare, and the new governor refused to let the 
estates of the Penns be taxed except at the rates 
which others paid for the poorest lands in the prov- 
ince. As some of these estates were of great value, 
this unjust demand led to a strong protest, but the 
governor was obstinate, the money had to be raised, 
and the Assembly gave way. 

A Crown Colony Proposed. — The Assembly was ex- 
asperated by the greed of the new governor, and 
appointed a committee to consider the rights and 
wrongs of the situation. This committee, of which 
Dr. Franklin was a member, issued a report in which 
all the complaints against the proprietaries were 
included and which ended with the suggestion that 
the government should be put in the hands of the 
king and the Penns be reduced to the position of all 
other property holders. 

A petition to the throne was prepared and largely 
signed. The Quakers as a society joined in it, while 
only a few names were attached to an opposite peti- 
tion in favor of government by the Penns. But soon 
an active controversy began. John Dickinson, one 
of the ablest men of the day, supported the Penns, 
7 



98 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

and the party feeling became strong. Franklin was 
sent to London by the party in favor of a crown 
colony, to present the subject to the king. Bnt when 
he reached England he found the Stamp Act contro- 
versy the main thought in the public mind and he 
did not present the resolution of the Assembly. Just 
then it did not seem the time to add to the power 
of King George III. 

The Pennsylvania Boundaries. — ^While these events 
were taking place an old subject of dispute had be- 
come prominent, that concerning the boundaries of 
the province of Pennsylvania. The English kings 
had given charters for the colonies in America in a 
very loose manner, and the true boundary of Penn- 
sylvania was fixed on only one side, that of the Dela- 
ware Eiver. On the south, Maryland had long 
claimed a liberal share of the province, and now 
Connecticut disputed its borders on the north and 
Virginia on the west. Here were difficulties that 
called for adjustment. 

The Connecticut Claim. — ^In the early days it was 
common to give the colonies a broad outreach to the 
west. This was the case with Connecticut, the 
original charter of which ran ^^from the Atlantic 
to the Pacific.'' When the boundaries of New York 
were adjusted they made a deep cut into the eastern 
section of this Connecticut claim, but west of South- 
east New York lay Northern Pennsylvania, and here 
the claim was held to stand unchanged. 

The Wyoming Valley. — In the section claimed lay 
the beautiful and fertile Wyoming Valley, which in 
consequence became a scene of warfare and blood- 



SETTLING BOUNDARIES OF PENNSYLVANIA 99 





Facsimile of a Receipt for Land Purchased in Pennsylvania in 1769. 
Signed by Indian Chiefs. 



} 




100 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

slied. A number of men in Connecticut formed what 
was called the Susquehanna Company, and in 1754 
bought from some Iroquois Indian chiefs at Albany 
the title to a tract of land including this valley. The 
proprietaries of Pennsylvania lad also made an In- 
dian purchase covering this valley. As for the 
Pennsylvania Indians, they declared that neither 
purchase was an honest one and that the valley be- 
longed only to them. 

An Indian Outbreak. — By 1763 a Connecticut settle- 
ment had been made in the Wyoming Valley, in dis- 
regard of the protest of the Delaware chief, Ted- 
yuscung, who had here his home. The protest of 
the old chief led to his murder, his house being set 
on lire while he slept, with the result that he perished 
in the flames. This act was done by some warriors 
of the Iroquois tribes of New York, but they made 
the Delawares believe that it had been done by the 
white settlers. 

This false tale led to a bloody reprisal. The Pon- 
tiac war was still active and in October, 1763, a party 
of Delaware warriors attacked the Wyoming settle- 
ment, killing thirty of the whites and putting the 
others to flight. Some of these reached places of 
safety, but many of the fugitives perished, while 
the whole tract was made desolate. Tedyuscung 
was terribly revenged, but not on his real murderers. 

Hostilities in the Valley. — The first Connecticut 
settlement in the Wyoming Valley had thus ended 
in massacre. In 1768 the government of Pennsyl- 
vania, finding that new settlers were coming from 
Connecticut, purchased from the Indians their title 



SETTLING BOUNDARIES OF PENNSYLVANIA IQl 

to the district and laid it out in manors, offering 
favorable terms to settlers who would occupy the 
ground. The Susquehanna Company also took steps 
to bring in settlers, and soon the fertile valley was a 
scene of new hostilities. The settlers on each side had 
agreed to hold the land against all intruders and a 
small war began, the site of the present city of 
Wilkes Barre being the centre of the conflict. 

The Connecticut men in 1769 built a stockade 
called ^^ Forty Fort,'' and this was soon a point of 
attack and defence. The Pennsylvania sheriff and 
his posse stormed the fort and took its defenders 
to Easton. But there they obtained bail and re- 
turned to Wyoming. For two years the ^ ' Pennamite 
and Yankee War" continued, forts being built and 
captured, prisoners taken and held as hostages. 
In the end, in 1771, the Penn party was defeated 
and driven out, the Penns failing to raise a sufficient 
force to hold the valley. The people of Pennsyl- 
vania looked on it as a private affair of the Penn 
family and did not take an active part. 

A Final Settlement. — For four years the Penns 
made no effort to regain the valley, settlers from 
Connecticut poured in, and it was made into a New 
England township called Westmoreland, a part of 
Litchfield County, Connecticut. Fighting was re- 
newed in 1775, but the Revolutionary war had now 
begun and the men of the valley found other uses 
for their energies. The '^ Wyoming massacre" of 
this war was not due to the conflicting claims, and 
only the closing event in the dispute need be men- 
tioned here. This took place in 1782, after inde- 



102 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

pendence had been gained. Tlie Penns liad no longer 
any voice in the question to be settled and Congress 
appointed a commission to consider the whole sub- 
ject. This met at Trenton, its decision being that 
Connecticut had no claim to the district, which be- 
longed to Pennsylvania. There were later contro- 
versies, a final settlement not being reached until 
1799, when the Connecticut settlers were given titles 
to their lands on the payment of a small price per 
acre. Where Pennsylvanians claimed the same lands 
their claims were settled in cash or by land elsewhere. 

The Maryland Claim. — We have already spoken of 
the dispute between the proprietaries of Maryland 
and Pennsylvania and the quarrels and bloodshed to 
which it led between 1736 and 1738. It began as 
soon as the charter was given to William Penn, in 
1681, and continued for more than eighty years. 
Many efforts were made to settle it, but the Lords 
Baltimore proved very hard to deal with and con- 
stantly threw obstacles in the way. An agreement 
was made in 1732, but new points of dispute sprung 
up, the last being as to how the twelve-mile circle 
from New Castle, demanded in Penn's charter, 
should be drawn, whether it should be measured 
over the uneven surface, as Lord Baltimore claimed, 
or by the methods of astronomy and geometry, as 
the Penns claimed. 

Delaware was also in dispute. Maryland claimed 
the whole peninsula between Chesapeake Bay and 
Delaware Bay, except that narrow part south of the 
38th degree, held by Virginia. This claim was dis- 
puted. The words in the Maryland charter, ^^hith- 



SETTLING BOUNDARIES OF PENNSYLVANIA 103 

erto uncultivated" land, excluded the Delaware Bay 
territory, which had been cultivated by the Swedes 
and the Dutch before the charter was granted. As 
will be seen, there was in this abundant ground for 
dispute. 

The Delaware Line. — It was decided in 1750 that 
Delaware (then known as the ^' three lower counties" 
of the Penn possessions) should have for its south- 
ern border a line running from a point south of Cape 
Henlopen to the centre of the peninsula. From this 
middle point a line was to be drawn directly north 
till it reached the circumference of a circle of twelve 
miles radius to be drawn around New Castle. These 
lines and that arc of the circle running to the Dela- 
ware River formed the inland boundaries of Dela- 
ware, the bay and river bounding it on the east. 

Pennsylvania's Southern Border. — To obtain the 
southern border of Pennsylvania, the line drawn 
northward through the peninsula was to be carried 
north beyond the circular arc around New Castle 
until a parallel of latitude was reached fifteen miles 
south of the most southerly point of Philadelphia. 
This at that time was Cedar Street (now South 
Street). 

Drawing the Lines. — Commissioners were appointed 
by Governor Hamilton in 1760 to lay out these lines, 
but it took the surveyors three years to mark out the 
lines of Delaware. The arc of a circle around New 
Castle was drawn by Rittenhouse, the Philadelphia 
astronomer, and was so accurately done that the 
work added much to his reputation. But the opera- 
tions of the surveyors were too slow to satisfy the 



104 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

disputants, and in 1763 Charles Mason and Jeremiah 
Dixon, two well-known English astronomers, were 
sent out to revise the work in Delaware and to draw 
the southern Pennsylvania border line. 

The Mason and Dixon Line. — The task given Mason 
and Dixon was by no means an easy one, and it took 
them four years to complete it. They found the 
Delaware line and the circle correctly drawn, and 
then worked their way due west, 
cutting a vista twenty-four feet 
wide through the forest and mark- 
ing the exact line in its centre. At 
every fifth mile they set up a stone 
with the arms of the Penns cut on 
its northern and those of the Bal- 
timores on its southern side. The 
stones marking the miles between 
had P on one side and M on the 
other. All these stones were 
brought from. England. 
oF^^lonD^''B'lTiMo^K When the Indians saw these 
rrixL.T. J^^°^ peculiar operations they ^ grew 
very suspicious. AYliat it all 
meant they did not know, but felt sure that it was 
another of the white man's tricks to rob them of 
their lands. They became hostile at length and 
ordered the surveyors to stop. After the Penns had 
used their influence with the Iroquois chiefs the work 
was allowed to go on again, and continued until the 

* Illustration from photograph of the original in possession of the Maryland 
Historical Society. 




SETTLING BOUNDARIES OF PENNSYLVANIA 105 

western extremity of Maryland was passed and tlie 
banks of the Monongaliela reached. Finally the 
surveyors attained the Warrior Branch of the 
Catawba Indian trail. Here the Indians insisted 
that this business of gazing at the stars through big 
tubes and setting up stones must stop, and Mason 
and Dixon were obliged to cease their work. It was 
not completed for years afterward. 

The Mason and Dixon line in later years became 
celebrated as the dividing line between the free and 
slave states, but this referred only to the original 
states, the line pursuing a new and devious course 
farther west. 

The Virginia Claim. — There remained still another 
claim, that of Virginia. When in 1752 the governor 
of Virginia announced that he proposed to build a 
fort at the place where Pittsburgh now stands, the 
governor of Pennsylvania agreed, but under the 
assertion that the land belonged to his province. 
In 1773 Virginia again took possession of this fort, 
naming it Fort Dunmore, after her governor, and 
claiming that all the region in question belonged to 
her. Both Pennsylvania and Virginia sought to 
divide it into counties and govern it, and there was 
trouble between the hot-headed frontiersmen of the 
two colonies. 

The difficulty was finally settled in 1779, it being 
then agreed that the Mason and Dixon line should be 
carried westward to the end of the five degrees of 
longitude named in the charter, and from the end 
a meridian line be drawn due north to the northern 



106 WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS 

limit of the State. These lines were surveyed in 
1784, David Eittenhouse doing the work, and with 
this all the various boundary disputes ended. 

The Lake Erie Border. — The northern boundary was 
easily agreed upon with New York and marked out 
hy Eittenhouse in the years 1785-87. At the west 
end of this line is an important break which gives 
Pennsylvania a long water front on Lake Erie. This 
was obtained by purchase. Under the Penn charter 
the province just touched Lake Erie. Here is a small 
triangular strip of land, known as the ^^Erie Tri- 
angle," formerly claimed by both New York and 
Massachusetts, and finally ceded by them to the 
United States. In 1792 Pennsylvania bought this 
strip from the Federal government for $151,640, and 
thus gained a valuable outlet on the lake, with the 
important port of Erie. 



QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION lOT 

PART III 
QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 

1. Describe the prosperity of the settlers in early times iit 
Pennsylvania. What claims of the French and English led to a 
great war? In what way were the Indians made hostile to the 
English? What is said about James Logan? Tell the story of 
Franklin and the Albany Congress. Why was George W^ashington 
sent to the French forts? Describe Washington's first campaign. 

2. Tell about General Braddock's march and its result. How 
did the Indians treat the settlers after Braddock's defeat? What 
was done by Franklin? In what way did Colonel Armstrong defeat 
the Indians? 

3. How did the sons of William Penn act about the taxes? 
What did Benjamin Franklin do in England to make the Penns pay 
their share? Describe the expedition of General Forbes. What 
part did Washington take in this expedition? When Fort Duquesne 
was taken what new name was given it? What great city stands 
on its site? 

4. Tell the story of Pontiae and his conspiracy. To what did it 
lead in Western Pennsylvania? How did Colonel Bouquet defeat 
the Indians? Describe the Conestoga massacre. In what way was 
Philadelphia besieged? How did ' the Pontiae Avar end? What 
Indians remain in Pennsylvania ? 

5. When did John Penn become governor of Pennsylvania? 
What quarrel arose between him and the Assembly? Tell the 
story of the Connecticut claim to the Wyoming Valley and how it 
was'settled. In what way was the Maryland border claim adjusted? 
Who surveyed the Delaware border? Wliat is meant by the Mason 
and Dixon line? What claim was made by Virginia and how did 
Pennsylvania obtain a border line on Lake Erie? 



PART IV. 

PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION. 



1. EVENTS THAT LED TO THE REVOLUTION. 

Revolutionary Times. — The American Revolution 
is a subject that belongs to American history in 
general, not to any special colony or province. Yet 
each colony played some individual part in it and 
felt its effects more or less severely, and this applies 
particularly to Pennsylvania, in which several of 
the most important events took place. There Con- 
gress held its sessions, there the Declaration of In- 
dependence was written and read, there the Liberty 
Bell pealed forth its inspiring message, and there 
Washington and his army passed through the dark- 
est days in the story of the great struggle. The 
part taken by Pennsylvania in the Eevolution, there- 
fore, is one of living and abiding interest. 

A False Theory. — ^While the struggle with the 
Indians and the contest with Connecticut and Mary- 
land about the border were going on, the causes 
which were soon to lead to a great war for inde- 
pendence were in active existence. These must be 
dealt with so far as they had to do with Pennsyl- 
vania. England had long held a false theory as to 
the relations of a colony to the mother country. Its 
government and merchants looked on the American 
colonies as if the}^ were a herd of cows to be milked 
for their special benefit, and they acted on this 
theory. 

108 



EVENTS THAT LED TO THE REVOLUTION 



109 



Manufacture on any but tlie smallest scale was 
forbidden, commerce was greatly restricted, and the 
colonies were to be lield as raisers of food for Eng- 
land and as a market for English manufacturers. 
Against all this the colonists protested. Finally, the 
British Parliament determined to tax the colonists 




Fire Engine in UbE About 170U. 



without their consent or approval. It was this effort 
which filled the colonies with rebels and in the end 
led to the Revolution. 

The Stamp Act. — The first tax was the famous 
Stamp Act. All x)ublic documents, newspapers, etc., 
were to be stamped, the stamps varying in value 



XIO PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 

from a lialf -penny to twelve pounds. This act was 
resisted everywhere. When, in October, 1765, a ship 
reached Philadelphia bearing the stamps for that and 
the neighboring colonies, the bells were tolled, as 
if for the death of liberty, and flags were hung at 
half-mast. The people refused to use the stamps 
and also to buy British goods while the Act remained. 
Suits of homespun cloth became the fashion. In 
the end the law was repealed, as not a stamp could 
be sold. 

Rejoicing in Philadelphia. — News of the repeal was 
received with joy in the colonies. Philadelphia was 
illuminated. Barrels of beer were placed on tap for 
the public. The leading citizens invited to a dinner 
the captain of the ship bringing the news and pre- 
sented to him a gold-laced hat. "When the king^s 
birthday arrived they dressed themselves in clothes 
made of English goods and gave their homespun 
suits to the poor. In New York a leaden statue of 
King George was erected in Bowling Green. A few 
years later it was cast into bullets for the Continental 
troops. 

Taxation Without Representation. — Though the 
Stamp Act had been repealed, there was trouble 
ahead. Parliament declared that it had a right to tax 
the colonies when and how it pleased, and soon new 
tax bills were passed, a duty being placed on wine, 
oil, glass, paper, lead, colors, and tea. It went further 
and declared that the money thus raised was to be 
used to pay the salaries of governors and judges. 
Hitherto these had been paid by the colonies; now 
they would be under the sole control of the king and 



EVENTS THAT LED TO THE REVOLUTION m 

Parliament and could treat tlie people as they 
pleased. Again the colonists determined to use no 
British goods. Able pamphlets were written against 
the principle of ^^ Taxation without Eepresenta- 
tion,'' the ablest among them being the '' Farmer's 
Letters'' written by John Dickinson, a citizen of 
Philadelphia. Those ^^ Letters" were widely read 
and made so strong a case that they added greatly 
to the feeling of the colonists against taxation of 
this kind. 

The Tax on Tea. — Finding that the colonists would 
not use British goods, and yielding to the complaints 
of the merchants, the tax was in 1770 taken off all 
the articles named except tea. 

As a result, the people in the colonies refused to 
buy any British tea. Tea was smuggled from Hol- 
land, but none from England was used, though in 
the end it was offered in America at a lower price 
than was paid for the smuggled tea, it being thought 
that this would give it a ready sale. King George 
was determined that the tax should remain, even if 
it yielded no money. He was obstinate on this one 
point ; a very dangerous one it proved. 

The Tea Ships. — To try the people, ship-loads of 
tea were sent in 1773 to the four chief ports — Phila- 
delphia, New York, Boston, and Charleston. All 
readers know how it was thrown overboard at Bos- 
ton, an act which led to the Eevolution. At Philadel- 
phia, when the tea ship reached Gloucester, a large 
meeting was held in the State House yard and 
warning sent to the captain that his vessel mnst not 
come nearer. The captain came to town, but when 
he found how hot was the feeling there he decided 



113 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 

not to unload his cargo. The Quaker firm to which 
the tea was consigned advanced the captain money 
to buy provisions for liis voyage home and the ship 
spread its white wings and sailed back to England. 
Again the colonists had defeated the king and his 
Parliament. 

Paul Revere in Philadelphia. — Eevolution was now 
close at hand, though few yet expected it. Boston 
was punished for throwing the tea overboard by 
closing her port, an act which caused much suffering 
among her people. Help was sent from the other 
colonies, and Paul Eevere, the hero two years later 
of a famous ride, was sent to Philadelphia to seek 
aid from that rich city. "When Eevere returned 
to Boston he bore a letter denouncing the port bill, 
expressing deep sympathy for the Bostonians, and 
recommending that a congress of the colonies should 
be called. Copies of this letter were sent to the other 
colonies, meetings were held at the State House, and 
a congress of delegates from the counties met in the 
city on July 15, 1774. Affairs were moving rapidly. 

The First Continental Congress. — The suggestion 
to hold a Continental Congress was favorably re- 
ceived. Every colony except Georgia sent delegates, 
and on September 4, 1774, the Congress, consisting 
of fifty-three members, assembled in Carpenters' 
Hall, Philadelphia. It continued eight weeks in ses- 
sion and resolved on the following acts : 

Massachusetts was to be supported in its resist- 
ance to British oppression, the colonies were pledged 
to commercial non-intercourse with Great Britain, 
and a petition to the king and memorials to the 



FROM REBELLION TO INDEPENDENCE 



113 



people of America and Great Britain were agreed 
npon. These resolutions were endorsed hy a large 
majority in the Pennsylvania Assembly and in all 
the other colonies except New York and Georgia. 
It was decided that another Congress should meet in 
May, 1775, and the Congress adjourned. Before 
that next Congress met the era of peace had ceased 
in the colonies and 
war prevailed. 



2. FROM REBELLION TO 
INDEPENDENCE. 

End of the Pro- 
prietary Government. 
— John Penn, who 
had succeeded Gov- 
ernor Hamilton in 
1763, remained gov- 
ernor of Pennsylva- 
nia during the stir- 
ring scenes that 
followed, with the 
exception of a period between 1771 and 1773, when 
he was absent in England and his brother Kichard 
took his place. He was more than once called on 
by the British government to take some definite 
action during the period of public discontent, but 
he was helpless to stem the strong tide of feeling 
that prevailed. 

He continued in a mild way at the head of the 
government after the Revolution had begun, and 
even after the Declaration of Independence had been 
8 




Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia. 



114 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 

passed, but conducted himself in a qniet, gentle 
manner, knowing well tliat it was beyond liis power 
to influence the torrent of rebellious sentiment. His 
brother Eichard, who remained in Philadelphia, was 
much liked by the citizens. The end of the gover- 
norship of the Penns came in the autumn of 1776, 
when a new constitution was formed and Pennsyl- 
vania took upon itself the dignity of an independent 
State. The old Assembly closed its long career at 
the same time. 

The News of Lexington. — On the 19th of April, 
1775, was fired at Lexington the famous ^'sliot 
heard round the world.'' As the news spread 
through the colonies intense excitement ruled in 
them all. On the 24th an immense meeting was held 
at Philadelphia and a military association formed, 
the members agreeing to find their own arms. A 
company was even organized among the young 
Friends, and called ^^The Quaker Blues" in a spirit 
of competition with '^The Greens," an organization 
recruited among the leading citizens. 

Congress in Action. — The Second Continental Con- 
gress met on May 10, 1775. Franklin, who had just 
returned from England, became one of its members, 
and John Hancock, a leading Boston patriot, its 
president. The British government had just dis- 
missed Franklin from the office of postmaster- 
general, which he had long held. Congress retorted 
by at once founding a postal system and making 
Franklin its postmaster-general. Another import- 
ant act of Congress, on June 14, was to appoint 
George Washington ^'commander-in-chief of the 
armies of the United Colonies." 



FROM REBELLION TO INDEPENDENCE n^ 

On the same day it took steps towards raising a 
Continental army, of wliicli ^'six companies of 
expert riflemen '^ were to be raised in Pennsylvania. 
On June 30 it appointed a Committee of Safety, 
consisting of twenty-five men from the city and the 
several counties, with Franklin as its president. 

The Committee of Safety.— The first work done in 
the Committee of Safety was to enlist the companies 
of riflemen ordered, the number being increased to 
nine by the ardor of the volunteers. Attention was 
also given to the defence of the Delaware against 
British war vessels. A chevaux-de-frise made of 
logs was placed across the river and a number of 
gunboats were built. Several forts and breastworks 
were also erected along the river. 

The First Naval Engagement.— The value of the 
gunboat flotilla was soon tested. On May 6 news 
came that two ships of war with some other vessels 
were coming up the Delaware, the frigate Eoebuck, 
of 48, and the sloop-of-war Liverpool, of 28 guns. 
These were boldly attacked by the thirteen boats of 
the fleet and a cannonading began which lasted three 
or four hours. The Roebuck then ran aground, the 
American boats were out of ammunition, and the 
conflict ceased. Before morning the Eoebuck was 
afloat and the two warships made their way back 
to the capes, where they occupied themselves in 
anno3dng or capturing American vessels that entered 
the bay. Steps were soon after taken by Congress 
for the building of a Continental navy. 

Paine's "Common Sense ".—Thomas Paine, the son 
of a Quaker in England, had been induced by 
Franklin to come to America, where he soon became 



116 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 

prominent among the Pliiladelpliia patriots. A 
ready and forcible writer, lie published on January 
8, 1776, a pamphlet called ''Common Sense'' which 
had a remarkable effect in inspiring the patriots. 
The king had just issued a proclamation in which 
the colonists were denounced as rebels. Paine 's 

stringent s e n - 
fences hit the 
mark admirably 
in the way of in- 
spiring the pa- 
triots to strike 
for independence. 
Indepen d e n c e 
Declared. — What 
followed belongs, 
not to Pennsylva- 
nia, but to Ameri- 
can history, 
though the old 
State House at 

Drafting Declaration of Independence. X nilaCleipnia WaS 

Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, Livingston and ii onar-^n. r\f i^^a. 

Sherman. LUe SCCUe Oi lUe 

most significant 
events. We may state that these consisted in the 
motion of Eichard Henry Lee, June 4, 1776, ^^that 
the United Colonies are, and ought to be, free and 
independent States"; the vote on this resolution 
and its adoption on July 2 ; the acceptance by Con- 
gress of Jefferson's ''Declaration of Independence" 
on July 4, and the public reading of this memorable 
document in the State House yard on July 8, while 
the famous State House bell ''proclaimed Liberty 




FROM REBELLION TO INDEPENDENCE 117 

throughout the h^nd." Pennsylvania had ceased 
to be a province and had become, with its sister 
colonies, an independent commonwealth. 

Steps Towards Statehood. — While the Congress of 
the colonies was taking these steps, Pennsylvania 
was moving rapidly in the path towards statehood. 
The old Colonial Assembly still existed, but at a 
large mass meeting on May 20 a vigorous protest 
against its authority was made and on June 18 a 
provisional conference was held at Carpenters ' Hall, 
eighty-seven delegates being present. This body de- 
cided that on July 8 an election should be held for 
members of a constitutional convention. As it hap- 
pened, the day of the Pennsylvania election 23roved 
to be that on which the Declaration of Independence 
was read to the peoi^le in Independence Square. 

The Constitutional Convention. — On July 15 the 
members elected to the convention met and selected 
Franklin as president. Now seventy years of age, 
he had served the public for more than forty years, 
yet remained one of the most zealous and courageous 
of American patriots. Another prominent member 
was Eittenhouse, the astronomer. With the meeting 
of the convention the career of the Committee of 
Safety came to an end and a new Council of Safety 
was chosen as the executive head of the new govern- 
ment. The old Assembly soon after went out of 
existence, the governorship of the Penns ceased, and 
Pennsylvania was fairly launched on the waters of 
independence. 

The Constitution of Pennsylvania. — The Constitu- 
tion was completed on September 28, the 1st of No- 
vember being named as the date when it should go 



118 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 

into operation. It provided for a single legislative 
body, as had before existed, this to be called the 
General Assembly, its members to be elected an- 
nually. There was also to be an executive body, the 
Supreme Executive Council, to consist of twelve 
members, one from each of the eleven counties and 
one from the city of Philadelphia. Its president, 
holding office for three years, became the head of 
the State, but was given very little authority, the 
council retaining most' of the reins of power in its 
own hands. A Council of Censors was also provided 
for, with the duty of deciding if the Constitution had 
been observed, if the officials had performed their 
duty, if the taxes had been properly levied and col- 
lected, and if the laws had been duly executed. 

Defects of the Constitution. — The principal defects 
of this constitution, as compared with those of the 
other colonies, were its provisions for a single legis- 
lature and an executive council, a body with the 
power which needed a single executive official for its 
adequate exercise. On the other hand, its religious 
tests for membership were very liberal, restoring 
the original ones of William Penn. Its system of 
penalties for crime also carried out Penn's ideas, 
instead of the English system of capital punishment 
for minor crimes, which had been introduced in the 
colonial period. Its provision for public education 
was also an important step forward. As for the 
Council of Censors, this proved to be of more harm 
than good, and was dropped in 1790, when a new 
constitution was formed. 



THE BRITISH INVADE PENNSYLVANIA 



119 



3. THE BRITISH INVADE PENNSYLVANIA. 
Washington's Retreat— The war for Independence, 

which in its early days had raged at Boston and 

New York, reached the borders of Pennsylvania in 

the autumn of 1776. Washington, outnumbered in 

New York, had been 

obliged to retreat 

across New Jersey 

with his little army 

of a few thousand 

ragged soldiers. 

Only when the Del- 
aware was reached 

and crossed and all 

the boats secured 

out of reach of the 

British army in his 

rear, was he safe 
from the disaster 
of a total rout. 

The situation 
seemed desperate, 
though Washington 
proved equal to it. 
Money was lacking, 
the half-clothed men 
were leaving for 
their homes at the end of their short terms of en- 
listment, and there was a general feeling of despair. 
Fortunately the new Assembly came to the aid of 
the army, offering rewards for enlistment, and soon 




Betsy Ross House, where thk First United 
States Flag was made. 



120 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 

fifteen liundred Pennsylvanians were marcliing to 
the Continental camp. 

Trenton and Princeton.— On Christmas day the 
tide was turned. Washington led his small force 
across the Delaware through ice and snow, marched 
all night to Trenton, and at daybreak attacked a 
force of Hessian troops encamped in that city. The 
surprise was complete, the Hessians were taken pris- 
oners and brought across the frozen stream, and a 
feeling of new hope stirred all loyal Americans. 

Philadelphia was saved. Congress returned from 
Baltimore, to which city it had fled, and a few days 
later Washington crossed again into New Jersey, 
won a second victory at Princeton, and for the time 
being was master of the situation. Encamping at 
Morristown, a point whence he could strike in any 
direction, he compelled the British to withdraw their 
outlying forces and give up the project of taking 
Philadelphia for that year. Washington had de- 
stroyed all their plans by a single stroke of military 
daring. 

Howe's New Project. — As yet the war had reached 
only the border of Pennsylvania. No foot of the 
invaders had trod upon its soil. But Philadelphia, 
then the metropolis and capital of the new union, was 
a prize that General Howe eagerly desired to win, 
and in 1777 he devised a new plan of invasion. This 
was to transport his army to Chesapeake Bay, land 
at its head, and march overland upon the capital city 
from that point. 

Robert Morris Raises Money. — Washington mean- 
while lay in northern New Jersey, anxiously watch- 



THE BRITISH INVADE PENNSYLVANIA 



121 



ing the British, and sadly in need of the requisites of 
warfare. He had been provided with money for 
urgent demands shortly after the battle of Trenton, 
by Eobert Morris, a patriotic capitalist of Phila- 
delphia. Inspired by the urgency of the situation, 
Morris went from house to house of the business men 
of the city, rousing some of them from their beds, 
to borrow money for the cause. He was able to send 
Washington $50,000, a much needed 
supply. But this had been used 
and much more was required. 

Movements of the Armies. — On 
August 25, 1777, Howe's army 
landed at the head of Elk Eiver, a 
branch of Chesapeake Bay, fifty- 
four miles southwest of Philadel- 
phia. Washington was prepared 
to meet the invaders. He had 
marched his army southward, 
passing through the streets of 
Philadelphia to give hope to the patriots. His men 
carried sprigs of green either to inspire hope or to 
hide their lack of uniforms. They kept on till the 
banks of Brandywine Creek were reached, at the 
point known as Chadd's Ford. Here they awaited 
the ai^proach of the British. 

Battle of the Brandyivine. — The situation was 
perilous. Howe had over seventeen thousand well- 
supplied and disciplined men. Washington's army 
was not more than eleven thousand five hundred men, 
many of them raw militia. Among his officers were 
Marquis Lafayette and other Frenchmen, who had 




Robert Morris. 



122 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 

volunteered to help the American cause. The battle? 
that followed, on September 11, proved disastrous to 
the Americans. While a jiart of the British army 
faced Washington at Chadd's Ford, the main body 
crossed the Brandywine four miles above and 
marched down upon the Americans. 

Washington swung round to face them, his men 
fighting from behind the walls of a graveyard and 
on the hills to the south. Here a strong defence was 
made, but the defeat of his right by the advancing 
British forced him to abandon his ground. He re- 
treated to Chester, his losses being about one thou- 
sand men in killed, wounded and prisoners ; those of 
the British about half as many. 

A Panic in Philadelphia. — The news of this disaster 
created a panic in Philadelphia. In wild haste the 
members of Congress fled through the night to Lan- 
caster, thence going to York. Church bells were 
sunk in the river or carried from the city ; the Liberty 
bell was taken to Allentown and hidden under a 
church floor. The archives of the State were sent to 
East on. The wounded were sent for safety to out- 
lying places, Lafayette, who had been wounded, be- 
ing cared for at Bethlehem. Many of the farmers 
fled with their families and live stock. The conster- 
nation was widespread. 

Efforts to Defend Philadelphia. — Washington's de- 
feated army marched through Philadelphia on the 
day after the battle, encamping at Germantown. The 
floating bridges across the Schuylkill were removed 
and steps taken to make that river the next line of 
defence. Obtaining supplies and ammunition at 



THE BRITISH INVADE PENNSYLVANIA 123 

Germantown, Washington again crossed the Schuyl- 
kill and faced the advancing enemy at Warren 
Tavern, in the vicinity of Paoli. He was prepared to 
strike another blow for the safety of the city, but 
a heavy rainstorm came up that wet the powder of 
both armies. His position was now perilous, and he 
was obliged to retire. 

General Wayne was left with fifteen hundred men, 
near Paoli, with orders to fall on Howe's rear and 
destroy his baggage. But the British learned of his 
position, made a night march to his camp, and 
attacked the sleeping Americans with the bayonet. 
Three hundred of them were killed, the rest escaping. 
This event beccame known as the "Massacre of 
Paoli.'' The Americans were no longer able to keep 
back the invaders. Howe marched up the Schuylkill 
and after a few days manceuvering crossed it at 
Swedes Ford, below Yalley Forge, Washington's 
army being too weak to resist. After a leisurely 
march southward through Germantown, the British 
army entered Philadelphia, taking possession on 
September 26. 

Features of the Situation. — Victorious as the British 
had been, they soon found that they had difficulties 
to contend with. Washington's army commanded 
the surrounding country and provisions were not 
easy to obtain. Tlie Delaware was obstructed with 
sunken frames of timber and forts were built on both 
shores below the city, preventing provision ships 
from ascending the river. While the British were 
seeking to open the river, and bringing provisions 
up from Chester under escort, Washington, alertly 



134 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 

watching for an opportunity, made a sudden attack 
on their camp at Germantown. 

The Battle of Germantown. — ^Washington's camp 
was on Skippack Creek, fourteen miles from Ger- 
mantown, in which place the larger part of Howe's 
army was encamped. These Washington hoped 
to surprise, and after a night march along 
parallel roads, fell upon them suddenly on the 
morning of October 4. The surprise was complete, 



BATTLii VI' Gl^ltMA>iTOWN. 



but the morning proved foggy and the gloom threw 
the American columns into some confusion. One de- 
tachment of the British took possession of a large 
stone house in the upper part of Germantown, since 
historically famous as the Chew house. Volleys were 
poured from its windows, the attempts to take it 
were unsuccessful, and the disorder in the American 
ranks increased. The divided columns could not be 
united, and shortly after ten o'clock a retreat was 
ordered. The attack was well planned, but condi- 



THE BRITISH INVADE PENNSYLVANIA 125 

tions stood in the way of success. Yet it had a good 
effect, as it taught the Americans the need of better 
discipline. 

The British Difficulties. — This was the last battle 
in force in the vicinity of Philadelphia, though there 
were some minor encounters. Washington remained 
alert, the river continued obstructed, and the posi- 
tion of the British became critical. Howe's army 
had no communication with its fleet, the troops could 
not move out of the city except in large bodies, every 
foraging party had to be strongly gniarded, and such 
supplies as were obtained from the British ships 
had to be brought overland under close and strong 
protection. Safety for them demanded that the Dela- 
ware should be opened, and this Howe now 
attempted. 

Opening the River. — The first attempt was made 
on October 23, when Count Donop, with twelve hun- 
dred Hessian troops, crossed the Delaware and 
marched upon Fort Mercer at Eed Bank, on the 
Jersey shore. Here were two regiments under Gen- 
eral Greene, who held the fort stubbornly, defeating 
his assailants. Donop was mortally wounded and 
four hundred of his men fell. Several British war- 
ships had taken part in the attack, and of these the 
Augusta, of sixty-four guns, was blown up, the frig- 
ate Merlin was burned, and the other vessels were 
driven off with heavy loss. 

On November 10 an attack was made on Fort 
Mifflin, on the Pennsylvania side. It was vigorously 
defended for six days, but in the end the feeble gar- 
rison was obliged to withdraw and the British took 



126 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 

possession. Soon after a strong force under Lord 
Cornwallis threatened Fort Mercer and the Ameri- 
cans were forced to evacnate that stronghold. The 
obstrnctions in the river were now removed and the 
fleet was able to reach the city. It had taken abont 
two months to accomplish this. 

Attempt to Surprise Washington. — On December 4 
the British sought to retaliate on Washington for the 
Germantown attack by an attempt to surprise him in 
his camp at Whitemarsh, eleven miles north of the 
city. The surprise proved to be on the other side, 
for the British advance was attacked in its night 
march, and the next morning the Americans were 
found drawn up and ready to receive them. The 
affair ended in a retreat of the British, who had lost 
over a hmidred men in their fruitless effort. 

The story is told that the plan was concocted in the 
house of William Darrach, on Second Street below 
Spruce, Philadelphia, and was overheard by his wife 
Lydia, who the next day set out to buy flour at Frank- 
ford, beyond the Britisli lines. She succeeded in 
meeting an American officer, told him her secret, and 
Washington was thus informed of the intended 
surprise. 

Winter Quarters. — About December 20th Washing- 
ton's army went into winter quarters at Valley 
Forge. Though they had been unsuccessful in Penn- 
sylvania, the news of the capture of General Bur- 
goyne and his entire army at Saratoga had given 
great encouragement to all patriots, especially from 
the fact that this seemed very likely to bring about 
a treaty of alliance with France. Franklin and 
others were at Paris negotiating for such a treaty. 



THE BRITISH INVADE PENNSYLVANIA 127 

Winter at Valley Forge. — The winter at Valley 
Forge proved one of extreme suffering to the patriot 
army. The army was sheltered in log huts, but food 
was difficult to get, want of clothing kept many of 
the soldiers within their huts, and blankets and 
straw were so scarce that they were often compelled 
to keep their fires burning all night. The winter was 
a severe one and the suffering of the soldiers was 
very great. The hospitals were full and a putrid 




Washington's Headquarte es, Valley Forge. 

fever swept off large numbers. Of the nominal force 
of seventeen thousand men, only about five thousand 
were fit for duty. Had the British known of the 
weakness of the Americans they might have swept 
them off by an attack in force. But Washington's 
scouting parties were so vigilant and active that 
his weakness was not perceived, and Howe found 
it difficult to get provisions from the country for his 
camp. During the winter important work was done 



13i 



PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 



by Baron Steuben, a trained German officer, who 
gave the soldiers the first thorough drill they had 
ever received. 

The British in Philadelphia. — Wliile the Americans 
were suffering at Valley Forge, the British were 
enjoying themselves in Philadelphia. They had one 
scare, indeed, when a scheme was devised to destroy 
their ships. A number of kegs, containing explosive 
machines, were set afloat on tlie river and drifted 
down among the shipping. But their character was 
discovered and a brisk cannonade 
began, everything afloat being 
made a target for cannon balls. 
The affair was widely laughed at 
and was ridiculed by Francis 
Hcpkinson in his well-known 
ballad, ^'The Battle of the Kegs.'' 
Commodore Barry's Exploit. — 
Another naval event of interest 
was the famous exploit of Com- 
modore John Barry, an Irish 
American, commander of a war- 
ship sent up the Delaware out of reach of the British. 
Chafing at the inglorious delay, he manned the ship's 
boats, descended the river past the city at night to 
Delaware Bay, and captured there several vessels 
loaded with military stores. A statue has been 
erected in his honor in Independence Square, the 
only one in that historic enclosure. 

The Mischianza. — Late in the following spring 
General Howe was superseded by General Clinton, 
and a grand fete was prepared for the departing 




Commodore John Barry. 



THE BRITISH INVADE PENNSYLVANIA 129 

general. It began on May 18 with a sliowy regatta, 
followed by a gay procession through the streets. In 
the evening came a tournament, together with fire- 
works, feasting, and dancing. In the midst of this 
revelry the merrymakers were startled by the sound 
of distant cannon. ''It is a part of the festivities, '^ 
said the British officers to their frightened partners 
in the dance. It was a part not provided for. One of 
Washington's daring cavalry officers, knowing what 
was going on in the city, took a squad of men in the 
darkness to the log redoubts stretching from river to 
river, painted them liberally with tar, and set them 
on fire. The flames shot up fiercely, the British fired 
their cannon into the outer darkness, but the daring 
scouts got off unharmed. 

The Walnut Street Prison.— Wliile this merry- 
making was going on, the American prisoners, locked 
up near-by in the Walnut Street prison, were suffer- 
ing tortures. Half starved and half frozen, they died 
by the hundreds, and were buried in pits dug in 
Washington Square. The keeper, Cunningham by 
name, was heartless and brutal, and the leaders 
gave little heed to the condition of their helpless 
captives. 

Lafayette in Danger.— There is only one other 
military event that needs to be mentioned. In the 
early spring the foragers of the British army were 
active and destructive, Washington not being in posi- 
tion to deal with them. He sent General Lafayette 
with two^ thousand picked men to take post near the 
British lines and watch their movements. A change 
of position in a body of troops, made without the 
9 



130 



PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 



knowledge of the young general, left liis rear un- 
guarded and lie ran serious risk of a surprise while 
in camp at Barren Hill. By skillful manoeuvres, how- 
ever, he was ahle to escape from his imminent peril. 
Philadelphia Evacuated. — ^When Franklin heard of 

the capture of 
Philadelphia h e 
sagely remarked: 
*^Howe has not 
taken Philadel- 
p h i a ; Philadel- 
phia has taken 
Howe.'' Such 
was practically 
the case. The oc- 
cupation of the 
capital city had 
done nothing in 
aid of the British 
invasion. And 
when the news 
came that an al- 
liance had been 
made between 
France and the 
United States and that Great Britain and France 
were at war, the situation of Clinton's army be- 
came perilous. A French fleet might lock up the 
British ships in the Delaware at any time, cutting 
off supplies. Evacuation became inevitable. 

On June 18, 1778, the British army left Philadel- 
phia, crossing into New Jersey. The Americans 




THE BRITISH INVADE PENNSYLVANIA 



131 



were close upon their track, Captain McLane, an 
active cavalry officer, following them so closely as to 
capture thirty-three men of the rear guard. Wash- 
ington was as alert, hastening to cross the river and 
follow them across the adjoining State. The battle 
of Monmouth, which followed, was an event outside 
the history of Pennsylvania. 

The Massacre of Wyoming. — One other military 
event of the Eevolution, this a lamentable one, be- 
longs to the his- 
tory of Pennsyl- 
vania. As has al- 
ready been said, 
a settlement of 
Connecticut peo- 
ple had been 
made in the fer- 
tile region of 
Wyoming. An at- 
tack was made 
on these in 1778 
by a party of 
Tories and In- 
dians from New 
York, led by Col- 
onel Butler. Most of the able men of the valley were 
in the army, not enough being left to resist. The 
bloodthirsty savages destroyed all the property in 
their path, murdered all the men they could find, 
and obliged the women and children to flee into the 
foodless wilderness, where many perished. 

The news of this useless and brutal destruction and 




Victims op the Tomahawk. 



132 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 

slaughter excited horror in America and Europe 
alike: the poet Campbell made it the basis of his 
^^ Gertrude of Wyoming," and it was looked upon 
more as a British crime than a British error. 

In the following year General Sullivan took re- 
venge on the Indians engaged by invading their 
country in New York, killing all he could find, de- 
stroying their crops, and burning their villages. 

Arnold in Command. — General Benedict Arnold, 
a daring soldier, but later an infamous traitor, was 
left by Washington in command at Philadelphia. 
He was very ill fitted for the office. His time was 
spent in gaining money by any means, legal or illegal. 
He bought a fine country seat on the banks of the 
Schuylkill, married Peggy Shippen, the belle of the 
city, and indulged in reckless dissipation, spending 
his money freely, and running into debt. The people 
complained bitterly against his mismanagement of 
city affairs. 

Condition of the City. — Philadelphia had suffered 
greatly by the British occupation. Its beautiful 
shade trees had been cut down for firewood. Of its 
fine suburban residences, a number had been burned. 
The streets, formerly kept clean and well lighted, 
were now dark and filthy. Many dwellings were 
emjjty, others had been wrecked by mobs. Burglars 
and other criminals were abroad, speculators were 
becoming rich, but honest business. men were growing 
poor. The finances of city and country were in a ter- 
rible state, the Continental currency having sunk in 
value till it took over four hundred dollars of it to 
buy a pair of boots. 



THE BRITISH INVADE PENNSYLVANIA 



133 



Such was tlie condition of the capital city to which 
Congress returned as soon as the British had left, 
and to which the French envoy, who represented the 
alliance between America and France, was now sent. 
He reached Philadelphia in 1778, and a series of 
dances and balls were given in his honor. 

Indian Ravages in the West. — ^While this was the 



^^m-p ''r%'r^^x^fr:;^ :: - w^^r^^^^^^^ 





Washington and Lafayette at Vallet Forge. 



state of affairs in eastern Pennsylvania, there was 
suffering from Indian ravages in the West. Stirred 
up by British agents in Detroit and other western 
stations, the Indians of that region rivalled the in- 
vaders of Wyoming in their career of death and out- 
rage, crossing the frontier and doing deadly work 
with the tomahawk and scalping knife. 

^^Hien the dread news of the Wyoming massacre 



131 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 

readied the settlers on the west branch of the Sus- 
quehanna, what was called the ''Great Runaway" 
took place. Abandoning their homes, the panic- 
stricken settlers tied in wild dismay, seeking safety in 
the towns. Boats, canoes, rafts, everything capable 
of holding a passenger, were set floating down the 
river, crowded with women and children. The men 
marched down the two sides of the stream, rifles in 
hand, acting as guards. The whole region along the 
Susquehanna, from Sunbury to Harrisburg, was 
filled with fugitives. 

The more westerly counties and the country 
around Pittsburgh were in similar sore straits. The 
soldiers of a Pennsjdvania regiment, most of whom 
had come from the region beyond the mountains, 
were sent back to their home country in the spring 
of 1778 to defend their families from the pitiless foe. 
Other expeditions were organized, but the border 
warfare did not cease until 1784. 

The War Ends.— The final event of the war took 
place in 1781. Washington's army a second time 
marched southward through Philadelphia, not as 
before to defeat on the Brandywine, but to triumph 
at Yorktown. An army of allies from France 
marched side by side with the Americans, and on 
October 19 the British army filed out from its works 
and Cornwallis delivered up his sword. 

Swiftly as news could fly in those days the glad 
tidings came to Philadelphia. It was past midnight, 
but the watchman's joyous cry, "Past two o'clock 
and Cornwallis is taken," soon filled the streets with 
excited crowds. It is said that the old doorkeeper of 



CONDITIONS IN COLONIAL TIMES 135 

Congress died of joy. The last sliot of the war had 
been fired, and Congress walked in solemn procession 
the next day to the Lutheran Church to thank God 
for the victory. 

4. CONDITIONS IN COLONIAL TIMES. 

Progress in Population. — Penn's province, as al- 
ready stated, made rapid progress from the first. 
Possessing an agreeable climate and fertile soil, free 
from the ravages of Indian warfare, blessed with 
liberal laws and religious freedom, it attracted colon- 
ists of different nations in large numbers. Philadel- 
phia, its chief city, increased rapidly in population 
and multitudes of industrious settlers flocked into 
the surrounding country. 

By 1750 it had surpassed in population every other 
colony except Massachusetts and Virginia, while at 
that date and for many decades afterwards Philadel- 
phia was the metropolis of America. From less than 
400 when Penn came in 1682, the population of the 
X)rovince in 1730 was variously estimated at from 
30,000 to 49,000 ; in 1750 at 270,000, at the beginning 
of the Eevolution at 300,000, and at its end at 
350,000. While these estimates are not to be accepted 
as trustworthy, they probably make a reasonable 
approach to the true number. In Philadelphia at the 
end of the Eevolution there were about 6000 houses 
and 40,000 people. 

Early Industries. — Farms were opened and planted 
in all directions, the primitive woodland being rap- 
idly felled to make room for the plow. On all sides 
the land soon began to smile with noble harvests of 



136 



PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 



wheat and corn, orcliards of apples and peaclies, and 
various other food products, while cattle and sheep 
grazed in the pastures, and active industry was 
widely displayed. Along the streams rose saw and 
grist mills to supply lumber for building and flour 
for bread. Beyond these there were few other manu- 
factures, except those 
that went on within 
the houses t h e m - 
selves, where the spin- 
ning wheel and loom, 
the tools of the car- 
penter, and other nec- 
e s s a r y implements, 
were kept busy. 

Colonial Com- 
merce. — There were 
traders and pioneers 
as well as farmers; 
furs, skins, and to- 
bacco being obtained 
from the Indians in 
exchange for trin- 
kets, fire-arms, etc. 
Beginning very sim- 
ply, the articles of early commerce grew in variety 
and extent, until by 1730 there were exports of 
wheat, flour, beef, pork, butter, cheese, apples, soap, 
candles, leather, wax, and a considerable variety of 
other articles. 

Ships were built for use and for sale, corn being 
sent in large cargoes to distant lands, where the 




State Flag op Pennsyl- 
vania. Size of Flag, 6 
Feet 6 Inches Fly and 6 
Feet on Staff. 



CONDITIONS IN COLONIAL TIMES 137 

ship as well as the cargo was often sold. An im- 
portant trade grew np with the West India islands, 
the products of the province being sold or exchanged 
for rum, sugar and molasses. The ships of Phila- 
delphia became widely known, not only in colonial 
and English ports, but in those of other nations. By 
the time of the Eevolution great mercantile houses 
had grown up in the Quaker City, and large fortunes 
began to be made. In 1773 about 800 vessels entered 
and cleared at the port of Philadelphia, the produce 
carried being valued at seven hundred thousand 
pounds. 

Pack-Horse Conveyance.^ — Philadelphia, was the 
great centre to which all roads led and to which all 
trade converged. The first tracks of travel were 
simple horse paths, cut through the forests, and 
traversed by pack-horses, carrying to market the 
products of the fields and bringing back to the 
farmers goods bought in the city. In time long 
trains of pack-horses, often fifty or a hundred in a 
line, carried large loads of merchandise into the far 
interior, reaching Carlisle and other western settle- 
ments. The iron made in the Juniata Valley was 
first taken to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in this 
way. 

The Lancaster Highway. — Regular roads soon 
began to follow these horse-tracks, the earliest of im- 
portance following the ridge through the Welsh 
settlement, and making its way to Lancaster. First a 
forest trail, then a rough road, gradually improving 
as the travel increased, in time it became one of the 
chief highways to the West. Crossing the Susque- 



138 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 

lianiia at Wright's Ferry, it passed tlirougli York, 
Carlisle, Sliippensburg, and Bedford, and made its 
way across the Alleghanies, Pittsburgh being finally 
reached. In 1792 the first section of it developed into 
the Lancaster Pike, a piece of improved roadway 
that became the wonder of America. Two other 
roads, made for military purposes, but afterwards 
used in the interest of peace, were the Braddock 
road, cut from Cumberland, ]\[aryland, to the Monon- 
gahela Eiver in 1755, and the Forbes road, cut from 
the Susquehanna to the site of Pittsburgh, by way of 
Fort Ligonier, in 1758. 

The Conestoga Wagons. — Along the Lancaster high- 
way thousands of emigrants made their way to the 
western wilderness, and long trains of wagons 
brought to the metropolis the produce of the farms. 
The notable Conestoga wagon first came into general 
use about 1760 — a huge vehicle, drawn by six or 
more horses, with linen covers sloping upward at 
each end, and broad wheels to keep it from sinking 
into the mud of the primitive roads. This vehicle be- 
came distinctive of Pennsylvania transportation, 
great numbers of them rolling into and out of Phila- 
delphia laden with country produce and city sup- 
plies. The teamsters and wagoners grew to be a 
class of hardy, humorous characters, and horses 
were bred especially for this service. 

Coach Lines of Travel. — Travelling in those days 
began with foot and horse travel, but in time devel- 
oped into coach transportation. The turnpikes and 
mail routes became scenes of active life, well filled 
stages and ]n'ivate carriages rolling briskly onward, 



CONDITIONS IN COLONIAL TIMES 139 

while at roadside inns a few miles apart excellent 
food and comfortable rest were to be bad. In the 
vicinity of Philadelpbia the inns were especially 
nmnerons. On the road from tliat city to Lancaster 
there were at one time sixty-two inns, abont one for 
each mile, good and bad in character, the Paoli Inn, 
still extant, being one of the best class. The stage 
travel was continued until the era of the railroad. 




Bl-ick Eagle Inn and Stage Coach. 

Mining Enterprise. — Not only the products of the 
fields, but those of the earth, needed to be taken 
to the centres of trade. The richness of Pennsyl- 
vania in mineral wealth has long been proverbial, 
and of this its stores of iron ore were early devel- 
oped. As long ago as 1720 iron was made at Coven- 
try Forge, Chester County, and furnaces and forges 
were gradually brought into use in numerous locali- 
ties. Valley Forge, the scene of Washington's win- 
ter camp, was so named from the old forge at the 



140 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 

point where Valley Creek enters the Schuylkill. In 
Lancaster County Baron Stiegel at an early date 
made cast iron stoves ; elsewhere wrought iron can- 
non were made for the Continental army; after the 
Eevolution the iron industry spread through the 
Juniata Valley, and finally made its way to its great 
modern centre at Pittsburgh. 

Discovery of Coal. — The vast deposits of bitumi- 
nous coal in the western part of the State were early 
found and gradually came into use. It was first 
burned by blacksmiths and afterwards in the iron 
furnaces. Tlie deposits of anthracite, or hard coal, 
were later in being utilized. This variety of coal, 
previously unknown, was discovered in the Wyoming 
Valley in 1768, and used there for blacksmith work. 
In 1790 hard coal was found in the Schuylkill region 
by a hunter who, having built a fire on some pieces of 
^' black stone," awoke during the night to find these 
red hot and burning. Five years later this coal was in 
use by blacksmiths. In 1791 another hunter discov- 
ered the Lehigh coal deposits. Many years passed 
before hard coal came into general use for smelting 
iron and for domestic purposes. 

Other Minerals. — Other products of the rocks in- 
cluded copper, which was obtained as early as 1718. 
At a much later date zinc and nickel were discovered, 
and the quarr^dng of slate became an active indus- 
try. The development of the vast petroleum wealth 
of the State was delayed until the verge of the Civil 
AVar period. 

Lumber Industry. — The abundant lumber supplies 



CONDITIONS IN COLONIAL TIMES 141 

of tlie province were early utilized. Before Penu 
came the Swedes liad begun to build vessels and in 
1683 a ship yard was opened at Philadelphia. Other 
yards were opened later and the city became famous 
for its ship building. During the Revolution fleets 
for the use of the patriots were built on the Dela- 
ware, and the first navy yard of the government was 
established there in 1798. Lumber was also in large 



Centre Square [with Old Water Works, a 
Philadelphia. 

demand for building, furniture making, and other 
purposes, and was converted into charcoal for iron 
smelting. It has continued to be an important Penn- 
sylvania product. 

Life in Philadelphia. — In colonial times life in 
Philadelphia had much to make it attractive. The 
houses were well built and comfortable, usually two 
stories high, the streets were shaded with trees, and 
around many of the houses were gardens and 



142 



PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 



orchards. Tlie city was noted for its abundance of 
fruits, peaches being so numerous that the people 
fed their pigs on them. A German traveller said 
that they cared less for their finest fruits than the 
people of Europe did for their turnips. The city 
had thus grown into the *^fair greene country town" 
that Penn desired. The streets were kept in good 




ISIakket Street, Philadelphia, with the Old-time Market Houses. 

condition and some of the sidewalks were paved 
with flagstones, then very rare. 

Shops were oi^ened in many of the dwellings, some 
article being hung over the door to show what was 
for sale within. Thus a basket, a beehive, a wooden 
anchor, etc., served the purpose of signs. There 
were, of course, larger establishments, and ware- 
houses to store the goods which the merchants 



CONDITIONS IN COLONIAL TIMES 143 

brouglit from foreign lands. The broad, straight 
streets of the city compared favorably with the 
narrow and crooked thoroughfares of New York and 
Boston. 

In the honses were wide, open fireplaces where 
great logs of wood were burned. Very much of the 
heat made its way up the chimney, and the stove 
introduced by Franklin, a sort of iron hearth, was 
thought a fine improvement. It was later when the 
closed wood stove came into use, though in the Ger- 
man section of the province large cast iron stoves, 
like those used in Germany, were early introduced. 
As for light, tallow candles served the purpose, and 
homespun cloth supplied many with clothing. 

Amusements were few and simple, though fine 
balls were given at times in which the dances were 
very discreet and formal. The theatre was not ap- 
proved, the Quaker inhabitants looking upon it as 
immoral, but musical concerts were much enjoyed. 
In those days, indeed, most of the people had little 
time for reading and amusement, the hours of labor 
being much longer than now. The age of machinery 
had not arrived and the hand labor was often severe 
and exhausting. 

Life Among the Germans. — Among the German set- 
tlers life passed somewhat differently. The hard 
labor to which they had been accustomed in Europe 
was brought to America and women worked with the 
men in the field. The German farmers seldom hired 
help, the family doing all that was needed in house 
and on farm. They took excellent care of their 
animals, the barns being usually much larger than 



144 



PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 



the houses. On the death of a land owner his estate 
wonld be divided among his sons, each building him- 
self a large barn and a small house. These great 
barns are still a feature of the German section of 
Pennsylvania. 

Bethlehem a German Town. — Bethlehem was one of 

the oldest and 
most typical of 
the Grerman 
towns, and one of 
considerable im- 
portance in co- 
lonial times, it 
being on the prin- 
cipal route of 
travel between 
Boston, Philadel- 
phia and southern 
cities. From 
Bethlehem trav- 
e 1 1 e r s passed 

.: ...x .^t-x i-x-N, liLr^Luu^^:. through the Mini- 

sink settlements 
about East on to Kingston on the Hudson, whence 
straight roads were followed to Boston and other 
New England cities. 

As a result, this place became famous for its inns. 
The best of these was the Sun, long familiar to 
travellers between the Southern and the New Eng- 
land colonies. This at times had as guests most of 
the members of the Continental Congress and the 
signers of the Declaration of Independence, while it 




CONDITIONS IN COLONIAL TIMES 



145 



is said tliat all the Presidents of the United States 
before Lincoln have been entertained beneath its hos- 
pitable roof. It was famous for its wines, such 
game as deer and grouse was very plentiful, trout 
and shad were favorite delicacies, and fruits were 
superabundant. The inn was owned and managed by 
the Moravian Church. 

Bethlehem a Garden. — Bethlehem in fact was like 
a garden. The Moravians of this place, like the 
Mennonites of Germantown, jDlanted fruit trees 
everywhere, the ^^^^^ 

streets being lined H^^^^** ' 

with them. As the 
town lay inland 
and out of the 
way of the Brit- 
ish, troops con- 
stantly passed 
through it during 
the Eevolution in 

their movements north and south. After the Battle 
of the Brandywine Washington prepared to make 
his stand there, if it should become necessary. He 
sent there his stores and ammunition, and seven 
hundred wagons, with their keepers and horses, 
were encamped near-by. The town was several times 
the headquarters of the Continental hospital, and 
Lafayette spent several weeks there, recovering 
from his wound received on the Brandywine. 

Other Colonial Settlements. — In the vicinity of 
Bethlehem was built another German settlement in 
1751, first known as Northampton, now the thriving 

10 




Southwest View op Bethlehem, 1784. 



146 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 

manufacturing city of Allentown. On the upper 
Schuylkill, in a picturesque mountain valley, was 
founded in 1748 the settlement of Reading, and west 
of this in 1750 that of Lebanon, both centres of the 
German colony. Of Easton, founded in 1738 in the 
Minisink country, at the junction of the Delaware 
and the Lehigh, mention has already been made as 
the seat of important Indian treaties. 

Lancaster, the county seat of Lancaster County, 
was founded in a fertile valley region in 1730, and 
became the first stopping point of the great highway 
to the west and of the famous Lancaster Turnpike 
of later years. The tide of western emigration soon 
passed this point and reached the region of the Sus- 
quehanna, and settlements began to grow up along 
that stream. Early among these outposts of the 
westward movement was York, founded at Codorus 
Creek, west of the river, in 1741, and the seat of the 
Continental Congress during the British occupation 
of Pennsylvania. Northward on the river at an early 
date was a notable Indian village called Shamokin. 
It contained about fifty houses, dwelt in by Dela- 
wares, Shawnees, and Senecas, and was the seat of 
Shikelliny, a celebrated Oneida chief. At his request 
the Moravians at Bethlehem sent him a blacksmith, 
and this opened the way for a Moravian mission. 
Fort Augusta became an important defensive work 
at that point in the French and Indian War and the 
town of Sunbury was founded there in 1772. The 
first house of Northumberland, a few miles north- 
ward, was built in 1768. Here lived Joseph Priest- 
ley, the famous discoverer of oxygen, in the later 
years of his life. 



CONDITIONS IN COLONIAL TIMES 



147 



Settlement of Harrisburg. — Peter Bazalion, a French 
trader, settled on the Susquehanna, at the mouth of 
Paxtang Creek, before 1700. Here was an Indian 
village, and in 1705 an Englishman from Yorkshire, 
named John Harris, settled at this point to trade 
■with the Indians. He built a log house near the 
Indian settlement, giving so much offence to the 
natives that some of them attempted to burn him. 
He escaped this peril and was finally buried at the 
foot of the tree to which the savages had tied him. 




Harkisburg from the Susquehanna River. 

His son, John Harris, the founder of Harrisburg, 
is said to have been the first white child born in 
Central Pennsylvania. He kept a military store- 
house and ran a ferry across the river, the place 
being then called Plarris's Ferry. The city itself 
was founded after the colonial period, in 1785, and 
became the State capital in 1812. 

Western Settlements. — The long and fertile Cum- 
berland Vallev earlv attracted settlers, Carlisle be- 



148 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 

ing founded tliere in 1751 and Chambersburg in 
1764. On the Juniata Eiver settlements were made 
about the same period, Huntingdon in 1767, and 
Bedford in 1766. The latter place first bore the 
name of Eaystown, from an early settler named Eea. 
Here General Forbes halted in his westward march 
in 1758 and Fort Bedford was built. A celebrated 
Indian relic at Huntingdon, the "standing stone,'' 
was described as fourteen feet high and six inches 
square. Gn it an inscription in Indian hieroglyphics 
was cut. 

Of the early history of Pittsburgh we have already 
spoken. A seat of war from 1755 to 1758, an infant 
town rose at this important site after the close of 
the war with the French, having about one hundred 
houses in 1761. During the Pontiac war it was in 
peril of being swept out of existence, but after Bou- 
quet's victory in 1765 a town site was laid out. It 
did not grow much until after the Revolution. In 
1769 a manor of 5000 acres was laid out here by the 
Penns, but the "Manor of Pittsburgh," as it was 
called, was not divided into lots until Virginia gave 
up her claim to the region. Since then coal and iron 
have built up a great city on this site. 

Church Schools. — We have already spoken of the 
early schools in Philadelphia, that of Enoch Flower 
and the Friends' Public Grammar School of 1689. 
The latter for many years was the only school under 
government control, but the various religious sects 
soon had school houses of their own. The Friends 
quickly began to build schools in country places near 
their meeting houses, there being some forty or fifty 



CONDITIONS IN COLONIAL TIMES 149 

of tliese coimtrv schools at tlie time of the Revolu- 
tion. 

The Episcopalians did the same, starting a school 
soon after Christ Church was opened in 1694. Other 
schools were built by them at Oxford, Chester, Mar- 
cus Hook, Radnor, and at Pequea, in Lancaster 
County. The Presbyterians were equally alive to the 
needs of education, and schools were opened in all 
their settlements, carrying primary education to the 
far west of the province. Of schools for the higher 
education, notable examples were the New London 
Academy, Chester County, and the "Log College, '' 
of Neshaminy, Bucks County, opened in 1726. The 
college building here contained a single room, twenty 
feet square, but its influence was great, and led to 
the establishment of various other schools and 
colleges under Presbyterian control. 

The German Schools. — While the Germans as a 
rule were lacking in education, there were a few 
men among them of high learning. But facilities 
for education among them progressed slowly. The 
log church of the Mennonites at Germantown, built in 
1706, was afterwards used as a schoolhouse, and the 
Academy on School Lane, founded in 1760, is still 
a prosperous institution. In it is kept the table 
used by Christopher Dock, "the pious schoolmaster 
of the Skippach," and the first to publish a book in 
America on the art of teaching. 

The Moravians were also active in this field, hav- 
ing nurseries at Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Lititz, 
which took In children over one or two years of age. 
Later schools with infant departments replaced 



150 



PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 



these. The Baptists, Lutherans, and other sects also 
had schools, and aside from these were subscription 
or pay schools, which became more numerous than 
those supported by the churches. It is said that by 
1750, in the country around Philadelphia, a school- 
house stood ''in almost every ridge of woods.'' 

The University of Pennsylvania.— Aside from these 
schools for primary and secondary education was 
one of much higher grade, now the University of 
Pennsylvania. Dr. Franklin, among his many activi- 
ties, did not overlook that of education, and by his 

r' "" 1 




Old College Building of University of rENxsvLVAXiA 



*' Proposals relating to the Education of Youth in 
Pennsylvania" led to the development of this great 
institution. It began in 1749 as the ''Academy and 
Charitable School," on Fourth Street below Arch, 
Franklin being its first president. It set a high, 
standard from the first, teaching Latin and Greek, 
also Logic, and Natural and Moral Philosophy. 
Within ten years the number of pupils grew to nearly 
four hundred, many of them from other colonies and 
the West Indies. The first provost, a man of fine 
ability, was Dr. William Smith. 



CONDITIONS IN COLONIAL TIMES 151 

In 1755 this school took the name of ^'The Col- 
lege, Academy, and Charitable School of Philadel- 
phia.'' A medical department was added in 1765, 
its professors being so able that it soon came to rank 
with the leading medical schools of Europe. In 
1779 the charter of the college was annuled and its 
property transferred to a new board, entitled 
^'The University of the State of Pennsylvania.'' 
In 1791 the college and university combined, taking 
the name of '^University of Pennsylvania." This 
has developed into the great institution of the 
present time. 

Learned Societies. — Two learned societies estab- 
lished at this period, with both of which Franklin 
was closely connected, were the Philadelphia Library 
and the American Philosophical Society. The 
Library grew out of the ''Junta," a club for reading 
and discussion, started by Franklin as early as 1731. 
The Philosophical Society arose from the union of 
two earlier societies in 1769. Its original purpose 
was to extend the knowledge of the useful arts. It 
is now devoted to scientific subjects. 

A third institution with which Franklin was con- 
cerned was the Pennsylvania Hospital. Dr. Thomas 
Bond first conceived the idea about 1750, but he felt 
obliged to apply to Franklin for aid. By 1756 the 
buildings were in a state in which they could be 
used, and from that time to the present the hospital 
has been one of leading importance. It was the first 
hospital in America. 

Pennsylvania's Great Men. — While Pennsylvania 
can claim many features of interest in its colonial 
historv, it can also claim a coterie of great men that 



152 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 

had few rivals in the other colonies. Some of these 
came from abroad, attracted by the liberal institu- 
tions of the home of Quakerism, others were natives 
of its propitious soil. Greatest among them was 
Benjamin Franklin, a son of Boston, but whose home 
for nearly all his life was in Philadelphia. 

We have spoken of Franklin's doings in many of 
his fields of activity. But while great as a writer, 
statesman, and man of practical affairs, he also won 
a high reputation as a scientist. Every schoolboy 
is familiar with the famous exiDcriment in which he 
drew the lightning from the clouds along the string 
of a kite, and proved its electrical nature by drawing 
a spark to his finger from a key tied to the end of 
the string. His practical result from this was the 
invention of the lightning rod. He made other im- 
portant studies in electricity, he investigated the 
causes of storms, and there were few of the sciences 
of the times to which he did not add something of 
value. 

Rittenhouse and Godfrey. — Next to Franklin as a 
scientist was David Eittenhouse, a mathematical 
genius and skilled astronomer, of whose able work in 
laying out the border lines of Pennsylvania we have 
spoken. Asa practical astronomer he was one of the 
greatest men of his time, and he won a world-wide 
reputation by his famous observation of the transit 
of Venus across the face of the sun in 1769. This was 
observed by astronomers in various parts of the 
world, but the work done by Eittenhouse from a plat- 
form built in Independence Square, Philadelphia, 
was nowhere surpassed. His orreries, in which the 



CONDITIONS IN COLONIAL TIMES 153 

movements of tlie planets around the sun were 
shown, were so ably built as to add greatly to his 
fame. Another astronomer, Thomas Godfrey, was 
a mathematical genius who might have equalled 
Eittenhouse but for his habits of intemperance. His 
improvement in the quadrant was rewarded by the 
Eoyal Society with a valuable prize. 

Bartram, the Botanist. — Philadelphia could also 
boast a scientist who won the admiration of Europe 




John Baetram's House. 

by his fme work in another field, that of botany. 
This was John Bartram, the first man to observe 
and describe the plants of North America, In doing 
this he explored the whole colonial territory from 
the great lakes to Florida, At his home on the 
Schuylkill he established the first botanic garden in 
America, which is now kept as one of the city parks. 
His reputation was so great that in his day his home 
was visited by learned men from all quarters, glad 
to be the guests of the man whom Linnaeus said was 



154 PENNSYLVANIA JN THE REVOLUTION 

**the greatest natural botanist in tlie world." 
William Bartram, liis son, ably carried on bis work 
in botany. 

In later years leading scientists from otlier lands 
made Pliiladelpbia tbeir bome and tbe centre of tbeir 
work. Tbese included Wilson and Audubon, tlie 
famous ornitbologists, wbose ^'bird books" are mar- 
vels of able study and work ; Nuttall, who studied tbe 
trees of the continent, penetrating to the Pacific 
Ocean, and Priestley, the far-famed discoverer of 
oxygen. 

Dr. Benjamin Rush. — In medicine also Philadelphia 
was the pioneer city of the continent, having the 
first medical school and the first general hospital. 
It had also the first great physician. Dr. Benjamin 
Eush, who has often been called ^'the Father of 
American Medicine." He took part in politics and 
was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, but 
is best known as the ablest physician of his time, 
one who gained a wide European fame. He was the 
pioneer in the long line of able physicians of which 
Philadelphia can boast. 

Benjamin West. — Pennsylvania has in addition 
the credit of giving in its colonial days a famous 
painter to the world. This was Benjamin West, born 
in 1738, of Quaker parents, in Chester, now Dela- 
ware, County, near where Swarthmore College now 
stands. He began painting portraits at the age of 
seventeen and soon went to Europe, where his later 
life was passed. In London, in 1792, he was made 
president of the Eoyal Academy. He honored the 
country of his birth by presenting to the Pennsyl- 



CONDITIONS IN COLONIAL TIMES 155 

vania Hospital a copy of his great picture, ''Christ 
Healing the Sick. ' ' 

Scholars and Writers. — Philadelphia had a scholar 
of unusual acquirements in its early days, James 
Logan, Penn's secretary, a man who was master of 
the Greek, Latin, French, and German languages and 
deeply versed in the lore of his time. He collected at 
Stenton, his country seat, a library of great value, 




House of Benjamin West. Swarthmore, Pa. 

embracing about 3000 volumes, which are now in the 
Philadelphia Library. 

Of authors of colonial days Franklin stands first 
in public appreciation, his **Poor Eichard's Al- 
manac'' winning a wide celebrity, while his notable 
*' Autobiography" is almost the only product of 
colonial literature now widely read. The stirring 
times before the Eevolution produced one author of 
striking ability, John Dickinson, whose ^'Farmer's 
Letters" laid the political situation clearly before 



156 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 

the people, and which was greatly admired in Europe 
as well as in America. Thomas Paine was not a 
native of Pennsylvania, reaching there only in 1774, 
but he gave a great impetus to the Revolutionary 
spirit by his famous pamphlet ^'Common Sense," 
in which he ably and vigorously advocated the cause 
of Independence. In the period of depression in 
1776-77 he came to the rescue with his periodical, 
*^The Crisis," which opened with the stirring phrase, 
^^ These are the times that try men's souls," and had 
the effect of an army fighting for the patriot cause. 

Religious Leaders. — The various German sects 
that settled in Pennsylvania were led by men of 
culture and refinement, who did good work in control- 
ling their bands of ignorant followers. First among 
these was Francis Daniel Pastorius, who reached 
Philadelphia in 1683 and took a leading part in the 
settlement of Germantown. He signed and probably 
originated the first American petition for the aboli- 
tion of slavery. 

The leader of the Dunkers, who settled in German- 
town about 1719, was Christopher Sauer, or Sower, 
who became head of the several German sects and 
published a weekly newspaper in German which cir- 
culated all over the country. A man of great energy, 
he made his own paper, ink, and type, and in 1743 
printed a German Bible forty years before an English 
Bible was printed in the province. He published an 
almanac, a magazine, and many books, and was fol- 
lowed by his son of the same name and his equal 
in business ability. 

A leader amonsr the Moravians was Count Zinzen- 



CONDITIONS IN COLONIAL TIMES 157 

dorf, a pious German nobleman who joined them in 
1741 in Pennsylvania, where they bought a place of 
settlement on the Lehigh, calling it Bethlehem. He 
renounced his title and worked hard to fuse the sects 
into one body, but got only abuse for his pains. 
David Zeisberger was the leading spirit in the active 
missionary work of the Moravians. 

Schlatter and Muhlenberg. — Aside from the sects 
named, many people came from the established 
churches of Germany, the Lutheran and German 
Eeformed. The leader among the Eeformed emi- 
grants was Michael Schlatter, a Swiss of learning 
and energy, who organized a large number of 
churches in Penns3dvania and the neighboring colon- 
ies, and was a pioneer in the effort to establish a 
public school system. He also tried hard to induce 
his people to learn and speak English, but in this he 
failed. 

At the head of the Lutherans was Henry Melchior 
Muhlenberg, one of the great figures of colonial 
times. A man equal in learning to Schlatter and of 
better judgment, he was much the ablest and most 
lilyeral of all the German emigrants. He had a rough 
and disorderly people to deal with, who were led 
aside by wandering preachers of all kinds, many of 
them mere frauds and vagabonds. He was accused 
of about every crime and fault these men could think 
of, but he continued his work undauntedly and in 
time organized a powerful church that spread all 
over the Union. 

Peter Muhlenberg.— Of Muhlenberg's son, Peter, 
is told one of the most interesting stories connected 



158 



PENNSYLVANIA IN THE REVOLUTION 



witli tlie Eevolutionary war. A preacher, like his 
father, he made his way to Virginia and held a pas- 
torate at Woodstock, in that colony, when the Eevo- 
lutionary War broke out. An ardent patriot, he felt 
that duty called him to the field instead of the pulpit 
and was not long in deciding on his course. 

Eising in the pulpit on a memorable Sunday before 

his expectant con- 
gregation, he told 
them with vivid 
energy : ' ' There 
is a time to 
preach and a time 
to fight! Now is 
the time to fight ! " 
T hen, throwing 
open his clerical 
garment, he ap- 
peared before his 
astonished hear- 
ers dressed in full 
uniform and read 
them a comniis- 
the Continental 




Anthony Wayne. 



sion appointing him colonel in 
army. 

Telling the drummers, who were present, to beat 
the call for volunteers, he exhorted his hearers to 
follow him to the field, with the effect that many of 
them volunteered on the spot and were enrolled in 
his regiment, the 8th Virginia. Muhlenberg served 
with distinction in the war, rising to the rank of 
general. In later life he became a member of the 
United States Senate. 



CONDITIONS IN COLONIAL TIMES 159 

Anthony Wayne. — Among the Pennsylvanians who 
took part in the Eevolutionary War, the most notable 
character was General Anthony Wayne, a native of 
Chester County. A member of the Committee of 
Safety in 1775, he immediately recruited a regiment, 
entered the army as colonel, and was made general 
in 1776. How his division was surprised and deci- 
mated at Paoli has already been told. He took a 
prominent part in the Battle of the Brand^^ne, led 
the right wing at Germantown, and was praised by 
Washington for his fine conduct at Monmouth. His 
most brilliant service was the surprise and capture 
of the stronghold of Stony Point, on the Hudson, in 
1779. ^^Mad Anthony" he was called, but while 
daring and impetuous, he did not lack prudence and 
judgment. His final exploit was the defeat of the 
western Indians in 1794. He died on his way home 
from this victory. 



160 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 

PART IV 
QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 

1. How did England treat the American colonies? What is 
meant by the Stamp Act? Tell of its effect in the colonies. What 
new taxes were laid by England? How were the tea ships treated? 
When and where was the First Continental Congress held? 

2. When and how did the Penns lose the province of Penn- 
sylvania? Where did the Second Continental Congress meet? 
When and where was Independence declared? How was Pennsyl- 
vania made into a State? What was the character of its Con- 
stitution ? 

3. Describe W^ashington's retreat to Pennsylvania. Who raised 
money for the army? When did Howe invade Pennsylvania and 
where was Washington defeated? Tell how Philadelphia was taken 
and how Washington failed at Germantown. What was the con- 
dition of the army at Valley Forge? In what way were the British 
obliged to evacuate Philadelphia? ^^^lat is meant by the "Massacre 
of Wyoming"? How did the Indians act in Western Pennsylvania? 

4. How did Pennsylvania progress in population? Describe the 
leading industries and commerce of the province. How did 
people travel? What mineral wealth was found? Where was coal 
discovered? What is said of the lumber industry? Describe the 
life of the people. What is said about Bethlehem and other Germnn 
settlements? Describe the settlement of Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. 
State how education progressed. How did the University of 
Pennsylvania arise? Who were the great men of the State in 
Colonial times? What is said about learned authors? Who were 
the leaders of the German religious sects? What is the story of 
Anthony Wayne? 



PART V. 

FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CLOSE OF THE 
CENTURY. 



1. AFFAIRS AFTER THE REVOLUTION. 

Mob Rule. — The Revolutionary War closed, so far 
as Pennsylvania was concerned, with the flight of 
the British army from Philadelphia and the Indian 
depredations in Wyoming Valley and the West. 
But affairs were left in a very disorganized condi- 
tion. The finances were in a frightful state, since the 
paper money, issued in large cjuantities, had lost 
nearly all its value. Philadelphia was threatened 
with moh law. Two men, Ahraham Carlisle and John 
Roberts, accused of aiding the British, were arrested, 
charged with treason and executed under stress of 
public opinion. James Wilson, a distinguished law- 
yer and a signer of the Declaration, had defended 
these men, and his house was attacked by a mob, 
several persons being killed and wounded. Breaking 
the windows of unpopular citizens was another diver- 
sion of the mob, and violence and disorder ruled until 
the end of the war. 

Revolt in the Ranks. — The soldiers of the army had 
especial reason for discontent. Far behind in their 
pay, some of them kept in the army beyond their 
term of enlistment, it was not easy to quiet men 
with arms in their hands, and a revolt of the Penn- 
sylvania troops stationed in New Jersey broke out 

11 161 



162 FROM REVOLUTION TO CLOSE OF CENTURY 

in December, 1780. On tlie eve of January 1, 1781, 
they left their camp and set out with arms in band 
towards Philadelphia. General Wayne rushed be- 
fore them at Princeton, pistol in hand, but the men 
were indignant and resolute. 

*'We love and respect you," they said to their 
general, **but if you fire you are a dead man.'' 

The British leaders at New York heard of this out- 
break and sent spies among the disaffected troops, 
making them liberal offers if they would join their 
army. The patriotic Pennsylvanians met this offer 
by seizing the spies and handing them over to the 
authorities to be hanged. The revolted troops were 
met near Princeton by Joseph Eeed, President of the 
Council of Pennsylvania, and arrangements made 
for their pay and clothing which satisfied them, and 
the revolt ended. 

The Lancaster Mutiny. — Another outbreak took 
place in June, 1783, when a. force of some three hun- 
dred old soldiers stationed at. Lancaster marched to 
Philadelphia to demand redress of their wrongs. 
The war was over, they said, but they had not been 
paid. They surrounded the council chamber and 
demanded an answer to their request within twenty 
minutes, threatening vengeance if they were not paid. 
The council rejected their demand. They next 
marched around the State House, where Congress 
was in session. Congress considered this a gross in- 
sult and left the* city in indignation, meeting in 
Princeton. After the affair ended Congress refused 
to return, but sat in New York and elsewhere until 
1790. 



AFFAIRS AFTER THE REVOLUTION 163 

Wasliington sent a body of soldiers to Philadel- 
phia on hearing of the revolt, but it was quieted 
before they arrived. The mutineers, in fact, did 
nothing but talk and bluster, and seemed little likely 
to attempt violence. John Dickinson, then President 
of Pennsylvania, gave them some sensible advice, 
and the commander of the detachment sent by Wash- 
ington arrested several of the ringleaders, who were 
tried by court-martial and sentenced to be executed. 
This sentence was not carried out. The return of the 
mutineers to Lancaster ended the affair, but their 
outbreak had its effect in inducing Congress to act 
promptly in settling the soldiers' just claims. 

Robert Morris Aids the Government. — We cannot 
pass over the history of the war finances without 
mention of Eobert Morris, the great financier of the 
Eevolution. We have already spoken of how this 
Philadelphia patriot roused the wealthy from their 
beds after the battle of Trenton to supply Washing- 
ton with funds, then sadly needed. He issued his 
own notes at one time to the amount of a million and 
a half to meet the pressing needs of the army, and 
in 1780 he, with George Clymer and others, founded 
a bank by subscription, its main purpose being to 
supply the army with provisions. Washington could 
not have made his march to Yorktown without the 
assistance of this earnest patriot. 

The Oldest Bank in the United States.— Eobert 
Morris was appointed by Congress Minister of 
Finance in 1781, and one of his first acts in this post 
was to obtain a charter from Congress for the Bank 
of North America. It was afterwards chartered by 



164 FROM REVOLUTION TO CLOSE OF CENTURY 

the State, and still survives, the oldest bank in the 
United States. Its notes were payable in specie 
on demand, it being the first banking institution in 
America on such a basis. By its aid the troops were 
paid, clothed and fed, and the stringency in financial 
affairs was greatly relieved. 

The Heritage of the Penn Family. — The Revolution 
swept away all the political power of the descendants 
of William Penn, and seriously affected their prop- 
erty rights. Of the lands held by the Penn estate 
there still remained unsold 21,600,000 acres. So vast 
an estate as this could not be left in the hands of a 
single family, practically an alien one, in a sovereign 
commonwealth. To get rid of this encumbrance an 
act was passed by the Assembly in November, 1779, 
called the Divestment Act, which confiscated these 
lands for the benefit of the State, the Penn claimants 
being paid one hundred and thirty thousand pounds 
to liquidate their claim. 

This act did not confiscate the private estates of 
the Penns, or the manors which had been surveyed 
and the survey returned to the land office before 
July 4, 1776. These remained in possession of the 
family, and some of them are still held by its descend- 
ants. Great Britain also conferred an annuity of 
four thousand pounds upon the family, so that the 
descendants of William Penn did not fare badly. 

Dealing with Slavery.— .Up to the year 1780 sla- 
very existed in Pennsylvania as a legalized institu- 
tion, though it had long been in opposition to the 
views of the Quakers, few of whom held slaves. In 
1778 George Byram, then acting President of the 



AFFAIRS AFTER THE REVOLUTION 165 

Commonwealth, urged tlie Assembly to pass a bill 
setting free all slaves born after that date. Efforts 
to get rid of the slave system had been made in 
colonial times, but had been frustrated by the in- 
fluence of the British slave dealers. 

Byram vigorously pushed his measure and on 
March 1, 1780, it was carried by a large majority 
of the Assembly. By this bill all children of negroes 
born after its passage became free at the age of 
twenty-one. There were then about six thousand 
slaves in the State. There were 67 remaining in 
1830, and may have been a few aged survivors, pen- 
sioners of charity, until near the era of the Civil 
War. 

Franklin Returns Home. — In September, 1785, Dr. 
Franklin, who had been serving his country abroad 
since 1764, with the exception of the interval be- 
tween May, 1775, and December, 1776, returned 
home, a man laden with years and honors, distinc- 
tively the great man of Pennsylvania, and after 
Washington, of the United States. The period be- 
tween 1664 and 1775 had been spent by him in Eng- 
land, where he sought vigorously to prevent a disrup- 
tion between the mother country and the colonies. 
On his return he was unanimously elected by the 
Assembly to Congress and was one of the committee 
that prepared the Declaration of Independence. 

In 1776 he was sent as Ambassador to France, and 
to him is due, chiefly or solely, the treaty of alliance 
with that country which aided so greatly in the final 
success of the Revolution. He was also very prom- 
inent in negotiating the treaty of peace with Eng- 



166 FROxM REVOLUTION TO CLOSE OF CENTURY 

land, signed in 1783. Immediately on his return he 
was elected president of the Pennsylvania executive 
council, holding this post for three years, but largely 
as an honorary dignity, much of the work being done 
by the vice-president. Old age and disease were 
upon him, but he lived to take part in the Constitu- 
tional Convention of 1787, dying in 1790, in his 
eighty-fifth year. 

The Keystone State. — Pennsylvania has long been 
called the Keystone State of the Union, either from 
its occupying the mid-position of the original thir- 
teen, or from standing at the point of union of the 
Free and Slave States, with the famous Mason and 
Dixon Line as its southern border. It deserves the 
title also from its great part in the work of freedom 
and union, as both the Declaration of Independence 
and the Constitution of the United States were 
written upon its soil and issued from its historic 
Independence Hall. 

The Need of a Stronger Union. — The Articles of 
Confederation, adopted at Philadelphia in 1776, 
served very well to keep the States together when 
the}^ were struggling for liberty and when union 
to them was life. But after the war ended these 
articles proved hopelessly unfitted to keep them to- 
gether in federal union. Congress was given 
scarcely any power and had to depend for funds on 
the contributions of the States, which they could 
give or not as they pleased. It grew evident that a 
closer union must be made and real power given the 
central government, or the old union would fall 
asunder like beads from a broken string. 



AFFAIRS AFTER THE REVOLUTION 167 

The Constitutional Convention.^Tliis state of 
affairs alarmed Washington and the other leaders 
of public opinion. They could see that only fear of 
England kept the States from setting up as separate 
commonwealths. Their hope was that this fear of 
foreign aggression would induce them to maintain 
and strengthen their insecure union. A convention 
was called to meet in 1787 and see what could be done 
to improve the Articles of Confederation. This con- 
vention met in the old State House at Philadelphia 
in May, 1787, all the States except 
Ehode Island sending delegates. 
Those from Pennsylvania were 
Benjamin Franklin, James Wil- 
son, Robert Morris, Gouverneur 
Morris, George Clymer, Thomas 
Mifflin, Jared Inge r soil and 
Thomas Fitzsimmons. From Del- 
aware came John Dickinson, prom- ^_^_^ 
inent in Pennsylvania history as geokgk ^shington. 
the author of the ''Farmer's Let- 
ters" and other literary labors, x^t that date Penn- 
sylvania and Delaware retained much of their old 
sentiment of unity. Washington, whose ripe judg- 
ment well fitted him for the post, presided over the 
Convention. 

Work of the Convention.— What was done in the 
convention belongs to the history of the United 
States as a whole, not to that of any single State. 
The work was done in secret and not until after 
the death of James Madison, many years later, did 
any one know just what took place. He made notes of 




168 FROM REVOLUTION TO CLOSE OF CENTURY 

the proceedings wliicli were published after his death. 
It will suffice to say that the Articles of Confedera- 
tion were soon found too weak to bear mending, 
and the Convention entered upon the task of making 
a new Constitution fitted to hold the States in a dura- 
ble union. The Convention adjourned September 
Ivtli, and the results of its work were soon after 
made public, being sent by Congress to the several 
States to be acted upon. 

The Struggle for Ratification. — No state was under 
compulsion to accept this Constitution, at least until 
nine of the thirteen had ratified it, as agreed upon 
by the delegates. There was so much hostility devel- 
oped against it that two political parties arose, 
known as Federalists and Anti-Federalists, and a 
struggle developed which became very severe in 
some States, notably New York and Virginia. 

Pennsylvania's Action. — After the Convention had 
adjourned Franklin, President of the Coimcil, pre- 
sented the new Constitution to the Assembly, eager 
for its ratification and hopeful of the future of the 
country if this was done. The greatest opposition to 
the measure came from the Scotch-Irish section of 
the State. Pennsylvania had a legislature of one 
house; the new State paper called for a two-house 
legislature for the nation, and this was a prominent 
reason for the opposition. But Philadelphia and the 
adjoining counties were weary of the anarchy which 
prevailed and were determined to force the measure 
through at all hazards. 

The Assembly was near its end and a new one 
would soon be elected. Fear of adverse action in 



AFFAIRS AFTER THE REVOLUTION 169 

the new led to vigorous steps in the old Assembly. 
George Clymer moved that a convention to consider 
the Constitution should be held in November. The 
vote in its favor was forty-three against nineteen. 
The Assembly then took a recess until the afternoon, 
and when it met the nineteen opponents failed to 
appear, leaving it short of a quorum. It adjourned 
to meet the next morning, when, to secure a quorum, 
two of the nineteen were seized in their rooms and 
dragged to the State House. Here they were held in 
their seats in spite of their indignant protests until 
a quorum was declared and a vote in favor of ratifi- 
cation taken. 

A hot campaign for delegates followed, pamphlets 
for and against the Constitution being liberally 
spread among the voters. The State was divided 
into two sections, the east and the west, the one 
strongly for, the other as strongly against, the Con- 
stitution. The Convention met on November 21, the 
eastern counties voting solidly for, the western as 
solidly against, the- new State paper. But the former 
had the majority, and on December 12 the Constitu- 
tion was ratified, with forty-six votes in its favor to 
twenty-three against. Delaware, the first to act, had 
ratified it five days earlier. By July 4, 1788, ten 
States had ratified, making the Constitution the law 
of the land. This triumph was celebrated by the 
greatest procession ever seen in Philadelphia up 
to that time, a patriotic oration being delivered by 
James Wilson and the streets filled with jubilant 
citizens. 

A Constitution for Pennsylvania. — The making of 



170 FROM REVOLUTION TO CLOSE OF CENTURY 

the National Constitution stirred up the statesmen of 
Pennsylvania, to make- a new Constitution for their 
own State, one more in accordance with the spirit of 
the times. The 1776 Constitution had retained the 
old machinery of the proprietary rule, the executive 
council and the single legislative body. The latter 
had no counterpart in the other States. Under it 
the president of the council, who had replaced the 
old .governors, had no more* authority than any other 
member. 

All this led to the feeling that a new Constitution 





REVERSE OBVERSE, 

Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 



was needed, and a convention was called which 
adopted one in 1790. This Constitution provided 
for a double legislature, a Senate being added to the 
old Assembly, which now became the House of 
Representatives. A governor was also provided for, 
who was to be elected every third year, but could 
serve only nine years out of twelve. Thomas Mifflin, 
who had succeeded Franklin as president of the 
council, was the first governor elected, and served 
until 1799. He had the power of appointing judges 



PHILADELPHIA THE NATIONAL CAPITAL 171 

and county officers and liis influence became great. 
Judges of the higher courts were to hold their offices 
during good behavior. Suffrage was free to all 
white males over twenty-one years of age and had 
been so since 1776. In colonial times all the colonies 
had required voters to be owners of some definite 
amount of property. Pennsylvania was the first 
to do away with this, and it is supposed that this 
democratic measure was first proposed by Dr. 
Franklin. 

2. PHILADELPHIA THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 
Philadelphia made the Capital.— When Washington 
took his seat as the first President of the United 
States Congress was in session at New York, and he 
was inaugurated in that city. It had been driven 
out of Philadelphia by the Lancaster mutiny of 
1783, as already stated. But one of the first acts 
of the new Congress, the first elected under the Con- 
stitution, was to select Philadelphia, still the largest 
city, as the national capital. This was to continue 
from 1790 to 1800, when the capital was to be re- 
moved to a new city, to be built on the Potomac and 
named after President Washington. Thus during 
the last decade of the eighteenth century Penn's city 
was the seat of the United States government. 

Congressional Halls.— Congress held its sessions 
in the building at the corner of Sixth and Chestnut 
Streets, previously occupied by the courts. The 
Senate occupied the second story and the House of 
Eepresentatives the first. This building, in common 
with the State House, has recently been restored to 



172 FROM REVOLUTION TO CLOSE OF CENTURY 

its original condition. The Supreme Court sat in the 
building at Fifth and Chestnut. Between these, con- 
nected by colonnades, lay the historic State House 
of Pennsylvania, with its famous Hall of Independ- 
ence. This was occupied by the Legislature of Penn- 
sylvania. President Washington made his home in 
the house of Eobert Morris, on Market below Sixth 
Street, which the great financier insisted that he 
should occupy, using part of its furniture. 

An Era of Prosperity. — Philadelphia played a large 
part in the history of the United States during the 



I i" 



^^^ 



m 



\ ;|. '^'iHi 



The Old Court House and Friends Meeting, 
Philadelphia. 

ten years in which it was the national capital. It 
was the centre of legislation and of many of the 
movements which started the new country safely 
upon its long path. Here in 1791 Hamilton, the able 
Secretary of the Treasury, founded the first Bank of 
the United States, and took other financial steps 
which lifted the country out of the poverty and de- 
pression which had long prevailed into its first era 
of prosperity. Soon money grew plentiful, trade 
flourished, the payment of the revolutionary State 
debts was assumed by the national government, and 
manufacturing industry became active. 



PHILADELPHIA THE NATIONAL CAPITAL 173 

Developing the Resources. — The first census, that 
of 1790, showed that Pennsylvania had a population 
of 434,373. In that of 1800 it had 602,365 inhabitants, 
Virginia alone surpassing it. And these people were 
busy in developing the resources of their State. 
Agriculture was active and its products large. The 
people were rapidly learning how to make their own 
goods, instead of buying them abroad. The mineral 
wealth of the State was being developed, and anthra- 
cite coal was now first mined, a company being 
formed which opened a mine near Mauch Chunk. 
It was long afterwards, however, before it came into 
general use. 

The Lancaster Pike. — Among the enterprises 
started was one to build the Lancaster turnpike, the 
first road of this kind in America, where only dirt 
roads had so far been in use. The company was 
organized in 1792, but no one knew how to' make 
stone roads. Great rocks were hauled in and smaller 
stones used to fill their crevices. It was soon found 
that such a road was worse than useless. In the end 
a road builder was obtained who knew how the 
Macadam roads of England were made. Under him 
the rocks were broken up, the road bed kept level, 
and the Lancaster Pike became the pride of the State 
and an object lesson to the other States. 

Canals and Steamboats. — The utility of canals, as 
a cheap means of conveying freight, now became evi- 
dent to the people, and a considerable number of 
canals were projected, among them the Schuylkill 
Canal, into which investors were so eager to put their 
money that six times as much was offered as was 
needed. Steam navigation also had now its first 



174 FROM REVOLUTION TO CLOSE OF CENTURY 

start in America. While a Virginian named James 
Eumsey was experimenting with a primitive steam- 
boat in his own State, John Fitch, a native of Con- 
necticut, began to experiment on the Delaware. 

Fitch's first boat was tried in 1786. He kept on 
experimenting and by 1790 had produced a boat that 
ran under steam power from Philadelphia to Bur- 
lington, against the wind, in three and a half hours. 
It began to make regular trips, running at times as 
much as seven miles an hour. But this boat, moved 
by a sort of oar or paddle motion, gave its inventor 
so much trouble that he finally abandoned it in 
despair. The boat was wrecked on Petty 's Island, in 
the Delaware, and there slowly rotted away. 

Literature and Education. — During the samei period 
Philadelphia became an active literary centre. 
Newspapers, montlily, weekly, and daily were 
started; magazines, most of them short-lived, came 
into existence; and the publication of both these 
forms of popular literature became more active than 
ever before. 

There were also new educational movements, both 
in city and state. The old College of Philadelphia, 
as already stated, combined with the new university 
in 1791 to form the University of Pennsylvania, and 
a few years earlier, in 1787, the College of Physi- 
cians was founded and begun its work of making 
Philadelphia a leading centre of medical science. 

Provision for the higher education was made in 
other parts of the State. Dickinson College was 
founded at Carlisle, in the Cumberland Valley, by 
the Presbyterians, in 1783. It was transferred to the 



PHILADELPHIA THE NATIONAL CAPITAL 175 

Methodists in 1833. In 1787 Franklin College was 
founded in Lancaster, and was soon much used by 
the Germans. In the southwest began the schools 
which grew into the Washington and Jefferson Col- 
lege, and academies supported by the State were 
opened in Philadelphia, Germantown, Reading, 
Pittsburgh and other towns. 

Yellow Fever in Philadelphia.— While the State and 
its capital city were showing these evidences of 
prosperity, evil days came to the citym a terrible 
outbreak of yellow fever, which carried off great 
numbers of the inhabitants. A negro revolt m 
Hayti in 1793 had forced many of the whites to tlee 
and a number of these came to Philadelphia. It is 
probable that the ships that brought these refugees 
brought also the germs of this dread disease, for 
about midsummer a frightful pestilence broke out, 
and soon thousands of the people were stricken with 
the deadly ailment. 

The victims died in such numbers that the streets 
were full of funerals, while the lack of carts to carry 
the dead kept many of them long unburied. Citizens 
were often afraid to greet their best friends m the 
streets; thousands of people fled from the city; the 
.rovernment offices were removed ; newspapers ceased 
to appear; business, except that in drugs, almost 

vanished. , , ,. , -i i. 

In the end a special hospital was established, to 
which the sick were removed, and here Stephen 
Girard a prosperous merchant, gave his services 
as nurse, bravely risking his life in this benevolent 
duty. Others joined him in this self-sacrificmg 



176 FROM REVOLUTION TO CLOSE OF CENTURY 

labor, and not until cold weather set in did the dis- 
ease abate. The mortality was frightful, half of the 
patients died, and the number of the dead was esti- 
mated at ^ve thousand. This was a large percentage 
of the population, which was forty-five thousand in 
the census of 1790. 

The Pestilence Returns. — There was a return of 
the pestilence in 1797 and in the two years that fol- 
lowed, apparently brought in each case by ships from 
the West Indies. A century was to pass before 
physicians would learn the cause and proper treat- 
ment of this fatal disease, and the methods then 
adopted by the doctors were largely worthless, per- 
haps often fatal. Dr. Eush, for instance, used bleed- 
ing and purging, weakening those who needed 
strength. It is likely that nature saved all who 
escaped. The cleaning of the streets and the adop- 
tion of hospital treatment were beneficial methods, 
and from the scourge came a better sanitary system, 
quarantine, and more efficient hospitals, all of which 
had their share in checking the scourge. 

3. THE WHISKY WAK. 
A Market for Grain. — ^While Philadelphia was pros- 
trated by the ravages of sickness, troubles of a dif- 
ferent kind were developing in the vicinity of Pitts- 
burgh, the growing centre of industry in the West. 
The Scotch-Irish farmers west of the Alleghanies 
lacked a readymarket for their surplus grain. Trans- 
portation was too costly for them to compete with the 
eastern farmers, who were growing rich from the 
produce of their fields. The wars in Europe made a 



THE WHISKY WAR 177 

steady demand for this, at good prices, abroad, but 
it did not pay to haul it over two or three hundred 
miles of bad roads. 

There was one way in which the western farmers 
could dispose of their corn and rye. This was by 
distilling it into whisky. This could be more 
cheaply transported and whisky became the staple 
product of the western section of the State. It 
largely took the place of money as a circulating 
medium. But in 1791 Congress, to increase its rev- 
enue, put a tax on this western product, and soon 
there was trouble throughout the whole region. 

The Whisky Tax Resisted. — The legislature of 
Pennsylvania declared the whisky tax oppressive, 
and the hot-blooded Scotch-Irish farmers resolved 
not to pay it. The government found it difficult to 
get men to act as tax collectors. The work was too 
dangerous. When a collector appeared among the 
whisky makers he was assaulted and had to flee for 
his life. Warrants were sworn out against the 
offenders, but the marshals were afraid to serve 
them. The whole region was in a dangerous fer- 
ment. A weak-minded man, who fancied he was a 
collector, was blindfolded, tarred and feathered, and 
left tied to a tree in the woods. 

A Warlike Outbreak. — This violent opposition put 
an end to the collection of the tax until 1794, when 
Congress decided that the tax must be paid and the 
rebellious westerners forced to obey the law. In 
July a number of distillers were served with writs 
as law-breakers. It was a case with which the State 
courts could not deal, the non-taxpayers having to 

12 



178 FROM REVOLUTION TO CLOSE OF CENTURY 

answer before the Federal Court in PhiladelpMa, 
and the report was spread that these men were to be 
taken for trial to that city. A mob quickly gathered 
and attacked the house of the revenue inspector, 
one man being killed and six wounded before the 
assailants could be driven off. The next day the 
inspector's house was captured and burned, but not 
until the leader of the assailants had been shot. 
The affair was now becoming warlike and the 
leaders shrewdly sought to bring so many into the 
outbreak that the government could not punish them 
all. On the 1st of August the insurgents met on 
Braddock's Field, thousands of them, distillers and 
their sjmipathizers, all ready for any act of violence. 

Pittsburgh in Danger. — Pittsburgh, where the 
Federal collectors had their headquarters, was in a 
state of alarm. It was then a little place of about 
twelve hundred inhabitants, and the rioters, finding 
no other law-abiders to deal with, loudly threatened 
to march in and destroy this Sodom, as they called 
it. Meetings were held between agents of the towns- 
people and the rioters, with the result that the Pitts- 
burghers were ordered to drive out of their town the 
Federal officials. As for themselves, they were 
commanded to march to Braddock's Field. 

The frightened citizens obeyed, not marching like 
the French and Indians of forty years before, but as 
humble and despairing suppliants, who did not know 
what evil things the blustering insurgents might do 
to them and their little town. The next day the in- 
surgents set out for Pittsburgh, in the vicinity of 
which they encamped. Here the townspeople, who 



THE WHISKY WAR 179 

had returned liome, brought out food and whiskey, 
a forced hospitality that placated the rebels and 
saved the town. 

A State of War. — This open defiance of the govern- 
ment was one that needed sharp measures. Gover- 
nor Mifflin was called on to put down the rebellion 
in his State. He hesitated. He was evidently not a 
fit man to act against armed rebels. Washington 
at once declared that if the State could not quell 
the rebellion the national government would. He 
called for troops from Pennsylvania and the adjoin- 
ing States, and soon an army fifteen thousand strong 
was marching for the Alleghanies, under the com- 
mand of General Henry Lee, of Eevolutionary fame. 

Governor Mifflin had by this time decided to act, 
and led the Pennsylvanians ; the army marching for 
the mountain barrier as Braddock and Forbes had 
marched years before. Fortunately .the warlike 
demonstration was at an end. A show of force was 
enough. Commissioners had gone in advance of the 
troops and the alarmed leaders of the revolt readily 
agreed to obey the law. When the troops reached 
the western counties there were no rebels in arms. 
The loud-talking insurgents had fled to their homes 
and there was no further trouble in collecting the tax. 

Albert Gallatin. — Those events helped to bring one 
notable personage into prominence. This was Albert 
Gallatin, a native of Geneva, Switzerland, who had 
come to America in 1780 and gradually drifted to the 
Pittsburgh region. A man of learning and ability, 
he was elected to the first State legislature that met 
under the Constitution of 1790. He sympathized 



180 FROM REVOLUTION TO CLOSE OF CENTURY 

with the distillers in the whiskey war, and took part 
in a meeting in their favor at Pittsburgh. This 
helped to make him popular and he was elected to 
the United States Senate in 1793, as a colleague of 
Robert Morris. But he was not permitted to take 
his seat, as he had not been for nine years a citizen 
of the United States. 

G-allatin did not take part in the outbreak of 1794, 
but went with the commissioners to Braddock's Field 
and here, with skill and eloquence, induced the lead- 
ers to accept the terms offered them. He was thus 
a main influence in ending the disturbance. Immedi- 
ately afterwards he was elected to the National 
House of Representatives and in 1800 he was ap- 
pointed Secretary of the Treasury by President Jef- 
ferson. He held this post until 1813, and afterwards 
served the government in diplomatic duties abroad. 

Robert Morris. — Robert Morris was a member of 
the first Senate, but in 1795 he went into large land 
speculations in which all his wealth was lost, he be- 
ing left deeply in debt. In those days people could 
be imprisoned for debt, and this great financier and 
friend and adviser of Washington, a man who, in 
the words of a distinguished historian, was as use- 
ful to his country as Washington or Franklin, was 
sent to a debtor's prison, where he remained three 
and a half years without help from Congress. It 
mav well be said that ^'Governments are ungrate- 
ful.' " 

The Hot Water Rebellion. — A taxation war on a 
smaller scale than the whiskey rebellion developed 
in 1799, the result of a State law taxing houses and 



THE WHISKY WAR 181 

lands. To estimate tlie value of a house tlie crude 
method was taken of counting and measuring the 
windows in the house. The trouble was confmed 
chiefly to the district around Bethlehem, where the 
ignorant Germans fancied that the obnoxious win- 
dow tax was being revived. Its title of ''Hot- War 
Eebellion" came from the fact that a woman poured 
hot water on one of the assessors. 

The leader in this trouble was a Eevolutionary 
soldier named John Fries, an auctioneer by profes- 
sion and a witty and fluent talker. Wearing a 
plumed hat, armed with sword and pistol, and fol- 
lowed by about sixty armed men and with his little 
dog ''Wliiskey^' at his heels, he marched from place 
to place, to the sound of fife and drum, haranguing 
the Germans on the injustice of the new tax. Some 
of his adherents were arrested and confined in the 
Sun Inn at Bethlehem, but he led his body-guard to 
the inn and rescued them. The affair had now gone 
too far and the militia were called out. The people 
dispersed when it was explained to them that the law 
was just and fair. Fries fled and hid in a swamp, but 
was traced to his hiding place by the aid of his dog 
*' Whiskey,'' arrested, tried, and condemned to 
death. He was pardoned by President Adams. 

Philadelphia Loses Prominence. — John Adams was 
the second President to dwell in Philadelphia, but 
the last year of his term was passed in the new capi- 
tal city of Washington. Thus in 1800 Penn's city 
lost its prominence as the capital of the United 
States. About the same time it ceased to be the capi- 
tal of Pennsylvania. The position of this city, on 



X82 FROM REVOLUTION TO CLOSE OF CENTURY 

the eastern border of the State, made it inconvenient 
for members of the legislature from the western 
counties to reach, especially in those times of slow 
travel. 

A New Capital. — The above fact had been discussed 
in the Assembly as early as 1777, and in 1795 the 
House voted to make Carlisle the capital. With this 
the Senate did not agree. Another vote, with the 
same result, was taken in 1798, Wrightstown being 
the place considered. At length, in 1799, a favorable 
vote was taken, Lancaster being chosen as the new 
capital. 

Lancaster did not long remain the capital. The 
legislature had no hall of its own to meet in, and 
felt it a loss of dignity to hold its sessions in a 
rented hall. In 1809 it was decided to move again, 
and the little town of Harrisburg was now chosen, 
it becoming the State capital in 1810. 

A few years later Lancaster offered to build a 
capital if the government would return, but the offer 
was not accepted, and Harrisburg remained the capi- 
tal, a State House being built there in 1821. At a 
much later date, after the burning of this building 
in 1897, a strong effort was made to bring the capital 
back to Philadelphia, but the offer was declined and 
a new State House built on the old site. 

4. CENTRES OF POPULATION. 

Early Towns. — By 1800, the year to which we have 

now come, many towns had sprung up in various 

sections of the State, some of which have since 

grown into importance. A few words in regard to 



CENTRES OF POPULATION 



183 



these towns, born in colonial times or in tlie early 
days of the republic, will be of interest. Philadel- 
phia had at this time a population of about seventy 
thousand. It was still a dwarf in comparison with 
the giant city it has now become, but it was the 
largest city in America and of special importance 




lU' i ! -ii_::t' : :h\vest Pennsylvania. 

liAFTixG TO Pittsburgh on the Alleghany River. 

as the seat of most of the leading political events of 
the Revolution and of the new union. 

Western Cities. — Pittsburgh, now the second city 
of the State, was in 1800 little more than a village. 
But the rich natural wealth in coal and iron which 
surrounded it was beginning to make its value felt 
and it was already evident that it would in time 
become a great centre of iron manufacture. It was 



184 FROM REVOLUTION TO CLOSE OF CENTURY 

founded in 1784, when the Penn family divided the 
landed estate which it still held in this region into 
bnilding lots, and offered them for sale. It grew 
with some rapidity and during the nineteenth century 
developed into a great city. 

In the early days of its history Pennsylvania had 
only about four miles of frontage on Lake Erie, 
touching it h}^ a mere corner. After 1790 it bought 
from the United States a triangular piece of land in 
this section and gained a lake frontage of more than 
fifty miles. The town of Erie was laid out in 1795 
at a place where there was a natural harbor. At that 
time there were only four families in the whole of 
what is now Erie County. But a shipping business 
developed on the lake, a trade by river and road 
sprung up with Pittsburgh, and the town grew with 
some rapidity. It was at this place that Commodore 
Perry built his fleet in 1813, hauling the iron needed 
from Pittsburgh, and sailing from here for his vic- 
tory over the British. Erie has since grown into a 
thriving commercial city. 

Twenty-five miles southwest of Pittsburgh was 
founded in 1782 the town of Washington, in a region 
since found to be, rich in coal and oil. It is of jDresent 
interest as a busy manufacturing town, and as an 
educational centre, it being the seat of Washington 
and Jefferson College and of other collegiate insti- 
tutions. 

In the Cumberland Valley. — In the fertile Cumber- 
land Valley several towns of interest sprang up at 
an early date, Carlisle, the oldest of them, dating 
back to 1751. This began in a block-house, a place 



CENTRES OF POPULATION 185 

of safety for the settlers, around which a town grad- 
ually grew. Here were sent the Hessians who 
were taken prisoners at Trenton. They were em- 
ployed in building the United States barracks which 
were burned by the Confederate army in the Civil 
War. Carlisle is the site of Dickinson College, 
above mentioned, and of a thriving and important 
Indian Training School. 

Chambersburg, in the same valley, was founded 
in 1764, a fort being built here after Braddock's 
defeat. It included a stone house with a roof of 
lead to save it from being set on fire by the Indians. 
A large part of the town was burned by the Con- 
federates in 1864, but it soon recovered from this 
calamity. 

In the same district lies the town of Gettysburg, 
not far from the Maryland boundary. It was named 
after James Gettys, who laid it out in 1780. Its chief 
interest arises from its being the scene of the most 
important battle of the Civil War. The Gettysburg 
battle park, with its splendid array of statuary, is 
now one of the most interesting places of resort in 
the State. 

On the Susquehanna. — Along this river, which 
traverses the central region of the State, a number 
of towns of some importance have grown up. Of 
the early history of Harrisburg, now the State capi- 
tal, mention has already been made. Settlers quickly 
made their way westward to this stream, and in 
1741 the Penns ordered a town site to be laid out 
on Codorus Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna. 
It was to bear the name of Yorktown and to follow 



186 FROM REVOLUTION TO CLOSE OF CENTURY 

the plan of Philadelpliia. It is now the city of York, 
capital of a county of the same name, and was the 
place of refuge of the Continental Congress while 
the British occupied Philadelphia. 

Of the origin of Sunbury, a thriving city on the 
northern section of the Susquehanna, we have 
already spoken. It was founded in 1772 on the site 
of the old Indian town of Shamokin. The present 
city of Shamokin lies nineteen miles to the north of 
Sunbury, in an iron-working region. 

The Southeastern Section.— The oldest town in 
Pennsylvania, built by the Swedes under the name 
of Upland, has been known as Chester since the first 
coming of William Penn. There was here an old 
meeting house of the Friends, in which Penn is said 
to have preached. The city lies on the Delaware, 
fifteen miles below Philadelphia, and retains some 
relics of its antiquity. Its growth was very slow, it 
being overshadowed by the neighboring metropolis, 
but within recent years it has grown rapidly and has 
become an active centre of manufacture. 

Chester County has for its county seat the hand- 
some town of West Chester, founded in 1786, and 
now a centre of educational institutions and agricul- 
tural industries. Montgomery County has for its 
capital the thriving industrial city of Norristown, 
founded in 1784, and named after Isaac Norris, who 
owned the tract on which it is built. Here was 
started the first canal in the United States, the 
Schuylkill and Delaware, its purpose being to con- 
nect these rivers and give a supply of water to Phila- 
delphia. The project was not completed. 



CENTRES OF POPULATION 187 

One of the earliest towns laid out in tlie State was 
Lancaster, which became the county seat of Lancas- 
ter County and dates back to 1730. The principal 
historical incidents connected with this place have 
already been given. It lies in the centre of a fertile 
grain and tobacco region, and has grown into a busy 
manufacturing city. 

In the German District.— The German region of 
Pennsylvania possesses a number of cities of colonial 
origin, some of them of much importance. Of one of 
the oldest of these, Bethlehem, the Moravian settle- 
ment, we have already spoken. South Bethlehem, 
which adjoins it, has become the seat of Lehigh Uni- 
versity, and of extensive steel and iron works. In its 
vicinity is Allentown, founded in 1751, and now the 
capital of Lehigh County. Here is Muhlenberg Col- 
lege, a Lutheran institution, and extensive iron 
industries. 

Eeading, founded in 1748, and the county seat of 
Berks County, has already been described. Its local- 
ity on the Schuylkill, between Penn and Neversink 
Mountains, is one of great beauty, and it retains 
much of its original German cast of character. With 
a population of a hundred thousand and numerous 
thriving industries, it stands well among the leading 
cities of the State. 

Wilkes-Barre, capital of Luzerne County, was 
founded in 1783, on interesting historic ground. 
Near by is the site of the Indian town of "Wyoming 
where dwelt the Delaware chief Tedyuscung, and 
in this vicinity took place the fights between the 
Pennsylvania and Connecticut settlers and the In- 
dian massacre of Wyoming. It lies in the midst of 



188 FROM REVOLUTION TO CLOSE OF CENTURY 

picturesque mountain scenery and owes its pros- 
perity to the very rich coal fields surrounding. 

Lebanon, capital of a county of the same name, is 
another German settlement, dating back to 1750, 
and is a thriving town, in a rich coal and iron region. 
Of Easton, at the junction of the Delaware and 
Lehigh rivers, we have already spoken. Founded in 
1738, it owes its early growth to the iniquitous 
*^ walking purchase.'' It is a beautifully situated 



■toMii. 


1 


.^ 


[..kS^- 




m~ ^^^'^<'*»»^i^»4H^^^^HiiHVihi<^ •' • '^ m^m 



Central View of Scranton. 



city, with Lafayette College on an overlooking hill, 
and has large manufacturing and commercial 
interests. 

The City of Scranton. — To the cities and towns 
that were founded and grew into importance during 
the nineteenth century brief attention can be given. 
All that attained any large size owe their prominence 
to the great mineral staples of the State, coal, iron 
and oil. Chief among these is Scranton, with 130,000 
population, making it the third city in the State. It 



CENTRES OF POPULATION 189 

stands on tlie site of a former Indian village named 
Capouse. A hamlet gradually grew up on this spot, 
but in 1840, when the Scrantons, iron-makers, took 
it in hand, it contained only five houses. 

It was first called Harrison, then Lackawanna 
Iron Works ; next, Scrantonia, and finally, Scranton, 
taking the name of its founders. Lackawanna 
County, of which it is the capital, yields nearly one- 



^ ,.. *. 



r-- 



\ 



Inclined Planes of the Hazleton Coal Company, Penn Haven, 
Pennsylvania. 

half of the anthracite coal of the United States. 
Iron is also abundant, and this thriving city owes its 
prominence to its great rolling mills and iron and 
steel manufactures of various kinds. That the In- 
dians were once numerous here is shown by its collec- 
tion of Indian stone relics, one of the largest in the 
United States. 

Anthracite Coal Centres. — To Pennsylvania's great 
wealth of anthracite coal we owe a number of other 



190 FROM REVOLUTION TO CLOSE OF CENTURY 

tliriving cities, chief among tliem being Hazleton, 
Shenandoah, Pottsville, and Wilkes-Barre. Of these 
Hazleton lies in the centre of the rich Lehigh coal 
basin and Pottsville in that of the great Schuylkill 
coal fields, while Shenandoah is seated in one of the 
most productive coal deposits of the State. Coal 
mining is the basis of all their activities. 

A Railroad Town. — One of the greatest railroad 
centres of the country is Altoona, situated in a pic- 
turesque mountain region, where the Pennsylvania 
Eailroad begins to climb the Alleghany divide. A 
few miles distant is the famous Horseshoe Curve. 
The town takes its name from its elevated position, 
and its chief source of prosperity is the great car 
and locomotive works of the Pennsylvania Eailroad 
Company, which employ thousands of hands. 

A Centre of Iron Manufacture. — Johnstown, another 
great centre of iron manufacture, lies about forty 
miles from Altoona and is the seat of the extensive 
Cambria Iron Works, which employ nearly 10,000 
hands. Here in 1889 occurred the great disaster 
known as the ^^ Johnstown Flood," of which we shall 
speak in a later chapter. 

The Pittsburgh District.— The vicinity of Pitts- 
burgh and its great mineral wealth have given rise 
to a number of thriving manufacturing places, chief 
among which are McKeesport, Homestead, and Brad- 
dock. McKeesport, the largest of these, has a popu- 
lation of over 40,000. Newcastle, 50 miles northwest, 
and Butler, 20 miles north, of Pittsburgh, are impor- 
tant manufacturing cities. 

The Petroleum Trade. — The discovery of rock oil, 
or petroleum, in Western Pennsylvania in 1859, gave 



CENTRES OF POPULATION 191 

origin to a number of very active places, tliougli 
many of them of temporary importance. Thus in 
1865 Pithole, after Philadelphia, did the largest post- 
office business in the State. A farm now occupies its 
site. Of the various centres of population which 
grew up, Oil City, with its 15,000 population, is now 
the largest. There are numerous oil wells in the sur- 
rounding county, and the business in oil here is very 
large. 

The Lumber Interest. — The lumber interest of 
Pennsylvania is a large one and has led to the growth 



McKnijjht's Hi ti.i^ Noith .--l I'.ini ,y1- n-;- 

Rafting Timbek on the .Susquehanna. 

of various communities, chief among which is 
Williamsport, the capital of Lycoming County^ 
founded in 1796. It stands on the West Branch of 
the Susquehanna, ninety-four miles above Harris- 
burg, and is notable for its immense lumber boom, 
built to hold the pine logs which are sent down the 
river every spring. It is composed of great piers 



192 FROM REVOLUTION TO CLOSE OF CENTURY 

and vast bolted timbers, stretches for miles up the 
river, and has the huge capacity of 300,000,000 feet 
of lumber. 

The Smaller Towns. — Pennsylvania has numerous 
smaller towns than those mentioned, many of them 
interesting for some reason, but few of them calling 
for description here. "We shall mention one only, the 
mountain town of Mauch Chunk, which claims atten- 




Mauch Chunk. 



tion from being in one of the localities in which an- 
thracite coal was first found and from its picturesque 
situation and surroundings. Some of the coal found 
here was taken to Philadelphia and led in 1792 to 
the forming of the Lehigh Coal Mine Company and 
the opening of mines. One of the first railroads of 
the country was in Mauch Chunk, and an inclined 
railroad, known as the Switchback, now runs from 



CENTRES OF POPULATION I93 

the town to the top of Summit Hill, nine miles away, 
on which coal was lirst found. This road attracts 
numerous summer visitors. 

Mauch Chunk is picturesquely situated in a nar- 
row ravine or valley, between steep hills and the 
Lehigh Eiver, the hills on which it stands being rich 
in coal. Near-by, up the valley, is the beautiful 
ravine known as Glen Onoko, down which pours a 
stream in wild falls and cascades which make it one 
of the most attractive of scenic localities. 

In the anthracite mining region are a number of 
towns of growing importance, which we must be 
content with naming. They include Carbondale, 
Dunmore, Mahanoy City, Mt. Carmel, Pittston, Nan- 
ticoke, and Plymouth. Pottstown, on the Schuylkill 
below Eeading, is an important iron manufacturing 
city. 



13 



194 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 

PART V 
QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 

1. Describe the revolt of the Pennsylvania troops in New 
Jersey and at Lancaster. What was done for the country by Robert 
Morris, and what bank did he establish? What became of the 
property of the Penns? When did Pennsylvania abolish slavery? 
How did Franklin serve the country during and after the war? 
Where was the Constitutional Convention held and for what pur- 
pose? How was the Constitution ratified in Pennsylvania? What 
new features were adopted in the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1790? 

2. During what years was Philadelphia the capital of the 
United States? Where did Congress hold its sessions? Where were 
the first turnpike built and the first steamboat tried? What 
dreadful pestilence visited Philadelphia in 1793 and 1797? What 
prominent merchant risked his life as nurse? 

3. What was the cause of the whisky war? State briefly the 
story of this outbreak. What prominent statesman was concerned 
in it? What is meant by the "hot water rebellion"? When did 
Philadelphia cease to be the capital of the United States and of 
Pennsylvania? What cities succeeded ns State capitals? 

4.* \^Tiat was the population of Philadelphia in 1800? What 
important cities arose in the western part of the State? What 
early towns were built in the Cumberland Valley and along the 
Susquehanna? Name the leading cities in the vicinity of Phila- 
delphia. What cities of importance have grown up in the German 
district? What are the chief centres of the anthracite coal region 
and the iron manufacture? To what places have the oil and 
lumber interests given origin? 



PART VI. 
THIRTY YEARS OF WAR AND PEACE. 



1. FIRST DECADE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 

Governor McKean. — In 1799 Pennsylvania chose 
a new governor in Thomas McKean, formerly a 
signer of the Declaration of Independence, president 
of the State of Delaware, and chief justice of Penn- 
sylvania. Like his predecessor, he served the three 
terms of three years each permitted by the Con- 
stitution, his administration ending in 1808. Mc- 
Kean was a friend of Jefferson and a strong Demo- 
crat, a firm, honest, though at times violent, man. 

Pennsylvania Democratic. — There were at that time 
two parties in the country, the Federalists and 
the Democrats, and the latter were in the majority 
in Pennsylvania. The Aurora, the leading Demo- 
cratic paper of Philadelphia, was extreme in its 
views, but exerted a strong influence, and after the 
election of Jefferson, in 1800, Federalism was prac- 
tically dead in that State. Jefferson's election was 
hailed as a great victory, and the Quaker City, in the 
violence of its demonstrations, and its bitter attacks 
on the aristocracy of the Federalists, seemed to have 
lost all its old character as a centre of staid and 
conservative ideas. The supremacy of the common 
people in political affairs was loudly demanded, and 
also low taxes and low salaries, it being declared 
that officials, should receive no higher pay than the 
plain workingman. 

195 



196 THIRTY YEARS OF WAR AND PEACE 

Internal Improvements. — During this period of 
political agitation, the spirit of internal improvement 
was active in Pennsylvania. The Lancaster turn- 
pike, which had proved so great a success, was grad- 
ually extended westward, finally reaching Pitts- 
burgh. In 1804 a regular stage line between Phila- 




Governor Thomas McKean. 

delphia and Pittsburgh was established, stages set- 
ting out once a week and taking a week to make the 
journey. From Pittsburgh boats down the Ohio and 
Mississippi could take the traveller to New Orleans 
in about three weeks. Turnpikes, equipped with 
toll-houses, were built in other directions, making 
travel easy between the principal cities, even in the 



FIRST DECADE OF NINETEENTH CENTURY 197 

spring, wlien muddy roads liad long been the rule. 

This mode of travel was expensive, but it was the 
best then to be had. The tolls between Philadelphia 
and New York amounted to about five dollars and a 
half, and the hotel bills on the slow journey were 
an important item of cost. Bridges in aid of travel 
crossed the Schuylkill at Market Street, Philadel- 
phia, and the Delaware at Trenton, and smaller 
streams were bridged along the roads. 

Steam Travel. — During the same period many 
canals were projected and elf orts at steam travel, on 
land and water, were made. Oliver Evans, an engi- 
neer of Philadelphia, had been for many years ex- 
perimenting in steam locomotion. In 1804 he ran a 
paddle-wheel steamboat down the Schuylkill and 
up the Delaware to the site of Beverly and returned 
without accident. This was a few years before Ful- 
ton 'si successful trip up the Hudson. By 1810 boats 
were making regular trips on the Delaware. 

Evans also tried to propel steam carriages on land. 
He had moved one for a short distance as early as 
1782, and in 1805 exhibited a more successful one. 
Unfortunately, he lost all his money in his earnest 
efforts to build steam engines that could draw 
vehicles on Lancaster Pike. In 1814 he astonished 
people by declaring that the time was coming when 
steam carriages would travel fifteen or twenty miles 
an hour. This seemed then an impossible speed. 

In addition to these efforts in common road travel, 
Pennsylvania must be credited with the first railway 
constructed in America. This was built in 1809 by 
Thomas Leiper from his stone quarry in Delaware 



198 THIRTY YEARS OF WAR AND PEACE 

County to Ridley Creek, a distance of about a mile. 
It was made of oak rails laid in blocks eiglit feet 
apart. On it a single horse could draw a stone-laden 
wagon with a weight of more than five tons. 

The Iron Industry. — Manufacturers were keeping 
pace with the improvement in travel. Iron works 
started up in various sections. The Phoenix Iron 
Works, at Phoenixville, was started in 1790, and soon 
after Coatesville became an important centre of the 
iron industry. Iron works on a smaller scale had 
long been operated, and in 1786 there were seventeen 
such works within forty miles of Lancaster. The 
iron industry had also spread along the Juniata Val- 
ley, and in 1790 the first furnace west of the Alle- 
ghanies was built on Jacob's Creek. Here cannon 
balls were made for use in Pittsburgh against the 
Indians. Pittsburgh was soon to come into promi- 
nence as a centre of iron industries, and the manu- 
facture of glass began there as early as 1797. This 
is now the leading i3lace in the country in the pro- 
duction of iron, steel, and glass. 

Philadelphia an Industrial Centre. — Philadelphia 
early began that development in manufacturing in- 
dustries for which it was later to become famous, 
and a large percentage of its citizens were engaged 
in manufacture in the first decade of the nineteenth 
century. Washington was surprised to find, in 1797, 
that William Penn's old mill, built between his two 
visits to America, was still in use, fitted up with 
machinery for manufacturing cotton, wool, and 
hemp, and he was astonished to learn that a boy 
could in one day spin nearly three hundred thousand 



FIRST DECADE OF NINETEENTH CENTURY 199 

feet of flax thread or weave fifteen or twenty yards 
of sail cloth. At the same time many other towns of 
the State had become active in spinning and weaving 
industries. 

The commerce of the city also was very active, 
trade being carried on with Enrope, Sonth America, 
and the remote parts of the Pacific. In 1804 alone 
no fewer than eighteen hundred vessels cleared for 
foreign ports, and came back richly laden. Trade 
of all kinds flourished and wealth filled the coffers 
of many adventurous merchants, especially of 
Stephen Girard, the richest and shrewdest in mercan- 
tile affairs of them all. 

The Career of Stephen Girard. — In Stephen Girard, 
Philadelphia had one of the most prominent and 
famous among American merchants. Beginning his 
career as a cabin boy, he was rapidly promoted till 
he became captain. Eeaching Philadelphia in 1769, 
when nineteen years old, he soon became active as a 
merchant. In 1791, when the slaves of Hayti re- 
volted and began to murder the whites, two of Gir- 
ard 's ships lay in the harbor of Cape Francois. The 
panic-stricken whites hurried upon them with their 
valuables and went back for more, many of them 
failing to return. Thus, wealth fell into Girard 's 
hands for which there were no claimants, the sale 
of the goods yielding him a large sum. We have 
elsewhere spoken of Girard 's heroic devotion to the 
sick during the yellow fever epidemic. 

In 1811 he bought the old United States Bank 
building and started the Girard Bank, and during 
the war that followed helped the government, dur- 



200 



THIRTY YEARS OF WAR AND PEACE 



ing its financial straits, with great profit to himself, 
and aid to the treasury. Shrewd and daring in busi- 
ness, he was strict in all his dealings, exacting from 




his creditors all that was due him, and from his 
employes faithful and diligent service. Yet he was 
a liberal subscriber to charities, and though adhering 
to no sect, gave freely to church buildings of all 



FIRST DECADE OF NINETEENTH CENTURY 201 

denominations, on tlie ground that tliey improved tlie 
city. 

A final thing needs to be said about bim. This 
grasping and friendless man on his death, in 1831, left 
his fortune of eight million dollars, an immense one 
for that time, to public and charitable uses. His 
legacies were confined to two hundred thousand dol- 
lars. The remainder was given to the cities of New 
Orleans and Philadelphia for public improvements. 
These included the famous Girard College, the be- 
quest to which has been increased by careful hand- 
ling to thirty million dollars. Thousands of orphans 
in Pennsylvania have had occasion to bless the 
beneficence of Stephen Girard. 

A New Governor. — Simon Snyder, a poorly 
educated farmer and storekeeper of Northumber- 
land, on the Susquehanna, was elected governor in 
1808. Hitherto the State had been governed by 
men of education or property and of conservative 
views. Snyder was a radical, of German descent, 
who lacked all these requisites, but who had been 
speaker of the Legislature, where he showed himself 
a just and able man. He could talk fluently both in 
English and German and became very popular, 
though many people of both parties viewed his nomi- 
nation with alarm. 

He was first nominated in 1805, but McKean was 
re-elected with a majority of five thousand. In 1808 
Snyder was nominated again. McKean had served 
his full term and was not eligible. The Federalists 
chose as an opposition candidate James Ross, of 
Pittsburgh, a lawyer of ability and college education. 



202 THIRTY YEARS OF WAR AND PEACE 

But tlie people stood for tlieir favorite, and Snyder 
won the field with twenty-eight thousand majority. 
H«, like his predecessors, served three terms and 
proved a discreet and capable governor. The calami- 
ties which had been predicted from putting an unedu- 
cated man in the chair did not arise. 

The Athens of America. — While politically and 
commercially affairs were in this state, Philadelphia 
was active also in another field. It had hitherto been 
the chief seat of literature in America and this posi- 
tion it still retained, its literary output exceeding 
that of any other American city. The ^'Athens of 
America'' some of its writers proudly called it, and 
though this was an honor greater than it deserved, 
it was doing work worthy of mention. 

Chief among its writers was Charles Brockden 
Brown, the first American novelist, a native of 
Philadelphia, of Quaker descent. His novels 
appeared from 1798 to 1804 and displayed much skill 
and power. lie founded the ' ' Literary Magazine and 
American Eegister" and edited the ^^ Monthly Maga- 
zine and American Review," and for years was a 
leading figure in American literature. 

Another writer of ability and fame among his 
fellows was Joseph Dennie, who founded in 1801 the 
''Portfolio," a literary magazine, and edited it until 
his death, in 1812. Thomas Moore, the Irish poet, 
who visited Philadelphia in 1804, speaks of him 
highly. Around him gathered all the chief writers 
of the city — Brown, the novelist, Alexander Gray- 
don, Josiah Quincy, Joseph Ilopkinson, Horace Bin- 
ney, and others. Those men who, in their own view 



THE SECOND WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN 203 

of tlie matter, made Pliiladelpliia the ^'Athens of 
America," long since sank into the limbo of those 
whom nobody reads, lost in the shadow of the multi- 
tude of better writers who took their place. 

Magazine Literature. — Philadelphia was also a. seat 
of active magazine work. In addition to those named 
may be mentioned the ^^ American Magazine," 
founded in 1757; the ^^Pennsylvania Magazine," of 
which Thomas Paine was editor, and various others, 
some of them of very brief existence, others long 
lived and popular. 

Science and information also had their day. 
^^Rees's Cyclopedia," a valuable work, in many 
volumes, was reprinted in Philadelphia and found 
many to delve into its pages, and Alexander Wilson, 
who taught a school just below Philadelphia, brought 
out there in 1808 the first volume of his famous 
'* Ornithology," an admirable work for which he had 
himself drawn the pictures of birds with great care 
and exactness. Audubon, the most celebrated of 
ornithologists, dwelt in eastern Pennsylvania at 
this time and began his forest wanderings for tlte 
study of birds in 1810. 

2. THE SECOND WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 
The Lake Erie Fleet.— In the war of 1812-15 Penn- 
sylvania's direct part was small, and to this we 
must confine ourselves. The city of Erie was the 
only seat of active warlike movements on Penn- 
sylvania's soil during this war. The British had a 
number of naval vessels on Lake Erie, and Captain 
Daniel Dobbins, of Erie, a lake captain who had 



204 THIRTY YEARS OF WAR AND PEACE 

been taken prisoner by the British in tlie early days 
of the war, went to Washington and advised the 
President to build a fleet to sweep the British from 
the lake. 

His arguments were convincing and he came back 
with orders to build two gunboats. In October he 
began work with a few carpenters and made such 
progress that in the following January he received 
an order to build two sloops-of-war. The materials 
for these were then growing in the neighboring 
forests. Trees had to be cut down, ship timbers 
shaped from them, and these hauled to the harbor 
over the wintry snows. 

As the season advanced the government saw need 
to press forward the work and Oliver H. Perry, then 
a navy captain, was sent to Erie in March, 1813, to 
control the enterprise and command the small fleet 
when finished. Workmen were also sent there from 
Philadelphia and New York. The work now went on 
rapidly. In some cases a piece of timber cut from a 
tree in the morning became part of one of the ships 
Itefore night. The iron for the vessels was brought 
from Pittsburgh by boat on the Alleghany and by 
wagon over the rough roads, and the needed cannon 
and balls came from the same place. Pittsburgh at 
that time had become a town of great activity, the 
centre of a growing iron industry and of the tide of 
migration to the West, the Ohio being the channel 
which the western travel and commerce followed. 

In the end the ships were finished, lifted with 
difficulty over the bar at the harbor's mouth, and on 
the night of September 10, there came from Perry 



THE SECOND WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN 



205 



the famous despatch, ^'We have met the enemy and 
they are ours." He was at once looked upon as a 
liero, and the people, proud of his feat, called him 
"the young Nelson of America." 

Other Incidents of the War. — There were other 
events of the war in which Pennsylvania was con- 
cerned. British ships lurked about the entrance to 
Delaware Bay throughout 1813, capturing merchant 









. — ^^ 

i 




J^" 




i 


-;. li 


MK^ /fe«)»6i 


^- . . ^ 


i 


n^H^K^.. 


« :-«i 


**Si^^C 


^^^^^^F^ 


p^ 




":^^m" 


"lallllP 


r ' 





Perrt on Lake Erie. 

vessels and rendering commerce difficult. On one 
occasion Stephen Girard had to buy one of his own 
ships from a British cruiser. Its cargo was of such 
value that it paid him to do so. In 1814, after 
the capture of Washington, there was fear that 
Philadelphia might be attacked by the British army 
in Maryland, and active steps for defence were 
taken. Earthworks were thrown up west of the 
Schuylkill, the forts on the Delaware were put in 



206 THIRTY YEARS OF WAR AND PEACE 

condition for service, and a camp of volunteers was 
formed near the southern border. Fortunately no 
invasion was attempted. 

Pennsylvania's Contribution. — Though no British 
soldier set foot on the soil of Pennsylvania during 
the war, this State actively supported the govern- 
ment. All her Eepresentatives but two voted in 
favor of the war and the State supplied more men 
and money than any other. Several of her sons bore 
a leading part in the conflict. Chief among these was 
Jacob Brown, a ^^ Fighting Quaker,'' born in Bucks 
County, and in 1812 made commander of the frontier 
for two hundred miles east of Oswego. He fought 
and defeated the enemy in several battles during 
the war and everything he undertook was a success. 
At Lundy's Lane occurred a famous dialogue be- 
tween General Brown and Major Miller, a soldier 
from Gettysburg. ' ' Canyon take the battery ? ' ' asked 
the general. ''I can try, sir," replied the modest 
major. The battery was taken. 

Several other Pennsylvanians took part in the war. 
James Biddle and Charles Stewart, both of whom 
did brilliant work in the naw, were born in Philadel- 
phia. They were given high honors, and Stewart 
afterwards became known as ''Old Ironsides.'' 
Stephen Decatur, another brilliant naval officer, 
spent much of his young life in Philadelphia, his 
father living in that city. 

Effect of the War. — The war greatly disturbed 
conditions. Trade was not safe in the coast waters, 
and all goods had to be transported along the roads 
by wagon teams, the costs of this slow process 



THE SECOND WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN 207 

greatly increasing prices. Societies to limit tlie 
prices of the necessaries of life were formed in 
Philadelphia, but without effect, and the war ex- 
penses caused higher taxes. Manufactures, however, 
flourished, there being no competition from abroad, 
while prices were high, and profits large. 

The cost, and the weak way in which the war was 
conducted on land, gradually developed a feeling 
against it, and both sides were glad when peace was 
declared. Merchants heard of the treaty of peace 
with joy. In the Delaware a great fleet of trading 
vessels was held in wait, ready to set sail for the 
high seas at the first tidings of peace. They were 
not long out before ships from Europe began to come 
in, laden with goods for which there was a ready 
market. Since the passing of the Embargo Act 
of 1807 foreign goods had been largely kept out, and 
the tea and coffee, the silks, muslins, and other fine 
fabrics from abroad were gladly welcomed. 

A Protective Tariff. — Alexander J. Dallas, a 
native of Pennsylvania, was then Secretary of the 
Treasury. He found the finances in an almost hope- 
less condition. Paper money was circulating in dan- 
gerous quantities; the Treasury was unable to pay 
out specie ; to increase the taxes was a dangerous ex- 
pedient; the only things that would improve the 
situation, in the opinion of Dallas, were a national 
bank and a protective tariff. Such a tariff was 
passed, chiefly on cotton and woollen goods and on 
sugar, it being supported by the South, but opposed 
in New England, where the interests were then 
largely commercial. 



208 THIRTY YEARS OF WAR AND PEACE 

Pliiladelpliia and Pittsburgli, Pennsylvania's man- 
ufacturing cities, warmly supported it. It was 
of advantage to their growing industries. The de- 
mand for a United States Bank was also successful. 
The bank was opened in 1816 on Chestnut Street, 
Philadelphia, a handsome white marble building, of 
Greek architecture, being built. It is now used for 
the offices of the Custom House. 

State Banks. — In the early years of the century 
the only banks in Pennsylvania were the original 
United States Bank, the Bank of North America, and 
the Bank of Pennsylvania. These had deposit 
branches in Pittsburgh, Lancaster and Eeading. 
When the first United States Bank went out of busi- 
ness, in 1811, State banks were quickly organized in 
its place and soon became numerous. In 1814 a bill 
to charter forty-two of them was passed. Governor 
Snyder vetoed it, but it was passed over his veto. 
In 1818 there were fifty-nine banks in the State. All 
these issued notes, often more than they were ever 
likely to redeem. 

Speculation. — The sudden activity in business after 
the war and the development of the new banking in- 
stitutions gave rise to speculation to a dangerous ex- 
tent. The result was disastrous, hard times came 
upon the State, many of the farmers were obliged 
to mortgage their lands, and in the end numbers of 
them abandoned their farms, leaving them to their 
creditors and seeking new homes in the broad West. 

The hard times were increased by frequent bank 
failures, and many years passed after the war before 
business got on a healthy footing. The trouble be- 



THE SECOND WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN 209 

came most severe about 1819, goods being disposed 
of at forced sales below cost, faetories closed, work- 
men out of employment, and many farms sacrificed. 
Organized charity became necessary to feed the 
many men without work, soup houses being opened 
and hmiiane societies formed to supply the poor 
with fuel and food. 

The migration west led to an inflow of many immi- 
grants from England and Ireland and of German 
redemptionists, men so poor that they were sold to 
labor to pay their passage money, some soon freeing 
themselves, others slaving for months. The story 
is told of one man who secured three of these penni- 
less immigrants. Wlien they reached his place he 
found that he had bought his father, mother, and 
sister. 

A New Governor. — Governor Snyder's limit of 
officeholding was reached in 1817, and a new gover- 
nor, William Findlay, the Democratic candidate, was 
elected, Joseph Heister, the Federalist candidate, 
being defeated. It was during Findlay 's term of 
office that the worst of the business depression ex- 
isted. He strongly advocated better methods of 
transportation than the old dependence on horse 
and ox. He thought the rivers could be made navi- 
gable for steamboats to a considerable extent and 
that canals could be built to connect many of them 
at the head of navigation. Wild fancies were enter- 
tained of what could be done in this way, but little 
was accomplished. 

Reform Movements. — At the period in question 
drunkenness was a great evil which no serious effort 

14 



210 THIRTY YEARS OF WAR AND PEACE 

liad liitlierto been made to reform. It is said that 
more houses were then open for liquor sale in Phila- 
delphia than there were eighty years later. This evil 
gave rise to the first temperance societies, though the 
temperance movement did not become active for a 
number of years afterwards. 

Lotteries had long been used as a means of raising 
money for many public purposes, but this means of 
obtaining money in a gambling method now became 
recognized as immoral and a strong feeling arose 
against the long popular lottery. 

The prisons also sadly needed reform. Imprison- 
ment for debt was still a common practice and led 
to much sutf ering. This system was now being abol- 
ished by the States, and Pennsylvania put an end to 
it. The memory of William Penn's imprisonment 
for debt stood before the State as a deplorable 
example. 

Wliile Pennsylvania was not the first to take this 
step, it established the first State prison, and made it 
a model for more humane treatment of criminals 
than formerly. The system adojjted was that of 
^^ separate and solitary confinement at labor," which 
still exists. Instead of being brought together in 
common workshops, each prisoner there works sepa- 
rately in his cell, except where a surplus of criminals 
requires two to be placed in a cell. 

3. DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE. 
Elections for Governor. — The political history of 
Pennsylvania in the period now under survey may be 
briefly disposed of, the principal matters of interest 



DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE 211 

in this period being ratlier industrial than political. 
The contest for the governorship in 1820 was be- 
tween the same candidates as in 1817, William Find- 
lay and Joseph Heister. Findlay was supported by 
the new-school Democrats and Heister by the old- 
school Democrats and the Federalists. Heister won 
by a small majority. He had been a colonel in the 
Eevolutionary War and for years a member of the 
Legislature and of Congress, and little could be said 
against him except that he was too old. 

When the election of 1823 came round Heister 
declined to serve any longer and Findlay was in the 
United States Senate, so new candidates were chosen. 
The Democrats nominated John A. Shulze, an edu- 
cated man and an advocate of the rights of the 
people. The opposition party nominated Andrew 
Gregg, a man of political experience. His party 
was that which had long been known as the Federal- 
ist, strong, in the days of Washington, but now so 
weak that people were ready to sneer at the name. 
Shulze won by a large majority. After that the 
Federal party was no longer heard of. In 1826 it had 
sunk out of sight and Governor Shulze received 
nearly the entire vote. 

The Convention System. — There is one matter of 
interest to speak of here. In the early period the 
nomination for governor had been made by a meeting 
of members of the Legislature. The people in time 
began to protest against this, saying that they ought 
to have a voice in the selection of the candidates for 
whom they were to vote. This was first spoken of in 
1807, by the Democrats of Delaware County, who 



212 THIRTY YEARS OF WAR AND PEACE 

proposed tliat delegates to a convention sliould be 
chosen and tlie governors be nominated by this con- 
vention. 

The idea was not then accepted, bnt it was put 
into partial effect in 1817, and in 1820 the candidates 
of both parties were nominated by conventions com- 
posed of delegates chosen by the party. This was 
then called the Pennsylvania idea. Other States 
soon took pattern after it and it was in time taken 
np by the national parties in selecting the candidates 
for President. Since then the convention form of 
nomination has continued to exist, though the dele- 
gates are* usually chosen by the party leaders. 

Growth in Wealth. — In industrial matters Penn- 
sylvania made much progress during the jaeriod in 
question. There had been a war, which left serious 
consequences in taxes, speculation, hard times, and 
bank failures. But in spite of all this the State gTew 
in wealth and in the development of its resources. 
The valuation of its houses and lands became nearly 
four times as great as it had been twenty years be- 
fore, and its export trade was rapidly increasing. 
Its population also increased rapidly, no other State 
but New York exceeding it. 

Internal Improvements. — Internal improvements 
went on rapidly. Bridges were built to cross the 
streams, some of them with the longest spans then 
found anywhere. Good roads also began to stretch 
far and wide, until the State had more than a thou- 
sand miles of turnpike. As for canals, there were 
many schemes in the air. It was proposed to join the 
head-waters of the Schuylkill and the Susquehanna, 



DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE 



213 



and to connect the Susquehanna with the lakes and 
the Juniata with the Alleghany. Of these, the first 
was accomplished, the Schuylkill and Susquehanna 
being connected so that boats could be taken from 
the head-waters of the latter stream to Philadelphia. 

Other canals were built that helped Philadelphia 
trade, the Chesapeake and Delaware canal across the 
State of Delaware, and a little later the Delaware and 
Earitan canal across New Jersey. These opened boat 
traffic from Philadelphia to New York and Baltimore. 
At the same time the State of New York was con- 
structing the Erie Canal, the greatest project of the 
kind in America. 

Nothing to serve as a rival to the Erie Canal could 
be built in Pennsylvania. Its mountain ranges for- 




McKnight's History Northwest Pennsylvania. 

TowANDA, Showing Bed of North Branch Canal. 



bade this. But one great idea arose, that of making 
a canal from Pittsburgh to Johnstown, one hundred 
and four miles distant. Here the boats were to be 
unloaded and their freights transported across the 



214 



THIRTY YEARS OF WAR AND PEACE 



Alleghany Mountains. Then another canal would 
take them down the Juniata and Susquehanna to 
Columbia, from which Philadelphia could easily be 
reached. 

This project was carried out, the mountains being 
crossed by aid of what was named the Portage Eail- 
road. Inclined planes were made on the mountain 
sides, with a stationary engine at the head of each 
slope, the cars being drawn up and let down the 




Loading C 



railways by an endless wire rope. From Columbia 
to Philadelphia a railroad, with cars drawn by 
horses, was in partial use. Other canals were con- 
structed, there being by 1830 about four hundred 
and thirty miles of State canals and three hundred 
miles owned by corporations. The result of this was 
to develop the internal resources of the State and 
secure part of the western trade, in competition with 
the Erie Canal. 



DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE 215 

The Use of Coal. — ^It had long been known that 
Pennsylvania was rich in coal, though this was slow 
in coming into use. Anthracite coal was nsed by 
blacksmiths as early as 1768, and soft coal early came 
into nse at Pittsburgh, being dug from a high bluff 
near the town. But the hard coal came into general 
use very slowly. From the coal beds near Maucli 
Chunk a half-dozen boat-loads of coal were sent down 
the Lehigh and Delaware to Philadelphia. There it 
could not be sold, for wood was plenty and cheap 
and no one knew how to burn ' ' stone coals. ' ' As no- 
body wanted it, the coal was used to pave the side- 
walks. There was the same difficulty with the coal 
sent down the Schuylkill. One party spent half a 
day in trying to make the ^' black rocks" burn and in 
the end threatened to arrest the coal dealer as a 
swindler. 

Learning to Bum Coal. — It was 1812 before the 
right way to burn anthracite coal was discovered. 
There was then a wire-making works at the Falls of 
Schuylkill village, the proprietors of which made an 
experiment with hard coal. A cart-load was bought 
and used in the furnace, but the heat wanted could 
not be got from it. Another cart-load was tried with 
the same result, the workmen poking, and raking, 
and blowing at it all night and going home in the 
morning in despair. They had slammed the furnace 
doors tight shut. A half hour afterwards one of 
them went back for his coat, which he had left, and 
to his astonishment he found the furnace a mass of 
glowing coals. He was not long in spreading the 
glad news; iron was heated and rolled, and from 



216 



THIRTY YEARS OF WAR AND PEACE 



tliat time tliere was no trouble in burning tbe ^^black 
rocks/' All tliey had needed was a suitable draft. 

Slow Progress. — Mining companies were now 
formed, coal was dug with ease from exposed veins, 
dams and sluice ways were made in the rivers to 
aid in its transport, and a full supply was taken to 
the city. But trouble here awaited the miners and 
carriers. To use the coal suitable grates had to be 




Grand Panohama of Schuylkill Coal Regions. Shenandoah. 

constructed, and if this was done no one was sure 
how long the supply would last. So the old wood 
stoves and hearths were kept in business, and as late 
as 1820 it was not easy to find sale for a few hundred 
tons of coal. Finally the dealers kept stoves burning 
in public places and had firemen taught how to use 
the coal in furnaces. This was effective. Soon the 
demand became active, and the great anthracite 
business was fairly launched. By 1828 the Schuylkill 



DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE 217 

and Lehigh regions were supplying the city yearly 
with about seventy or eighty thousand tons of coal. 

Lumber and Grain. — Other products came down 
the rivers and over the roads. The mountains sup- 
plied vast quantities of lumber, and during the 
spring freshets multitudes of logs were floated down 
the streams. There was a ready market for it in 
Philadelphia and also for the grain of which the 
farmers had a large supply. ShiiDbuilding became 
active on the Delaware and every year about two 
thousand ships sailed from the port, their cargoes 
supplied by the farmers, lumbermen, and manufact- 
urers. The protective tariff had been raised until 
the charge on imports was very high, the mills of 
Pennsylvania being especially benefited by this. 
The manufacturers of cotton, woollen, flax, iron, 
glass, etc., all felt the impulse and industry and trade 
grow very active. 

Coal and Iron. — The abundance of coal and iron, 
in connection with the high tariff, helped Pennsyl- 
vania greatly in its manufacturing progress. For 
many years iron had been actively produced, means 
of transportation were provided by the rivers and 
canals, high duties enabled the manufacturers to 
undersell their European rivals, and a great variety 
of goods were made in Philadelphia and the other 
manufacturing cities, giving the State a rapid indus- 
trial development. 

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. — The bulk of the pro- 
ductive industries were centred in the two cities at 
the extremities of the State, Philadelphia and Pitts- 
burgh. The ** Smoky City" was first chartered as a 



218 THIRTY YEARS OF WAR AND PEACE 

city in 1816, it having been first a village and then a 
borough. At that time it had about ten thousand 
inhabitants, and these very busy ones. There were 
forty-one trades in the new city, with nearly thirteen 
hundred artisans and nearly two million dollars of 
annual product. For several years bankruptcy had 
been unknown in that city and its prosperity seemed 
assured. 

Philadelpliia at that time had over one hundred 
thousand inhabitants. New York had grown to sur- 
pass it in numbers by 1820, and slightly in com- 
merce, but in some respects Philadelphia stood fore- 
most still, especially in scientific and literary reputa- 
tion. It had ceased to be a Quaker city before 
this time, yet some impress of its Quaker staidness 
seems to have jDersisted. Its churches of other sects 
were ten times as numerous as its Quaker meeting- 
houses. The ^^city," as then limited, lay between 
the Delaware and Schuylkill, Vine and South Streets, 
and this area was only in minor part covered, but 
there were growing suburbs, each a separate cor- 
poration, which would add much to its size when 
consolidated with it, as they were a third of a century 
later. 



QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 219 

PART VI 

QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 

1. Who was the governor of Pennsylvania in the beginning of 
the nineteenth century? Which was the leading political party? 
What improvements were made in methods of travel? Where was 
the first railway built? Name some early centres of the iron 
industry. In what ways did Philadelphia develop? Describe briefly 
the career of Stephen Girard. What splendid institution did he 
found? How did the Embargo Act affect the commerce of the 
State? Who were the prominent authors of Philadelphia in the 
early nineteenth century? What important publications were 
issued? 

2. What led to the second war with Great Britain? What 
part did Pennsylvania take in it? Why was Philadelphia fortified? 
What Pennsylvanians were leaders in the war? Describe the devel- 
opment of banks and tell in what way speculation brought on 
hard times. What reform movements were undertaken? 

3. What was the origin of the convention system of nominat- 
ing candidates? What progress was made about and after 1820 
in road and canal building? What great canal and railroad system 
Avas built? How did people learn how to burn anthracite coal? 
Describe the business in lumber, grain, and other products. When 
was Pittsburgh made a city? What was the population and extent 
of Philadelphia in 1820? 



PART VII. 

AN ERA OF DEVELOPMENT. 



1. THE FREE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND THE CONSTITUTION 

OF 1838. 

Anti-Masonic Party. — In 1826 an event occurred 
which led to the development of a new political 
party, not only in Pennsylvania, but throughout the 
United States. A man named William Morgan, of 
New York, announced that he would publish a book 
revealing the secrets of the Order of Free Masons. 
The result was that some men entered and searched 
his house for the manuscript, burned the printing 
house where they supposed the book was being pub- 
lished, and from that time Morgan vanished from 
human sight. It was believed he had been mur- 
dered and his body hidden. 

This affair created an excitement which spread 
throughout the country. While there was no evi- 
dence to connect the Masonic Order with the dis- 
appearance of Morgan, there was a sentiment of 
hostility to secret organizations then existing, and 
many felt that judges and juries might be swayed 
by their influence. As a result there developed an 
intense feeling against the Masons, which soon made 
its way into politics, and an Anti-Masonic party 
arose which continued active for eight or ten years. 

The Election of 1829. — In 1829 an election for 
governor took place in Pennsylvania in which the 
Anti-Masons first showed their strength. George 
220 



SCHOOL SYSTEM AND CONSTITUTION OF 1838 231 

"Wolf, wlio had served two terms in Congress, was 
nominated by tlie Democrats. Against liim tlie oppo- 
sition parties nominated Josepli Eitner. So little 
heed was given in Philadelphia to this opposition 
candidate that the press spoke of there being only 
one ticket in the field, and the vote for Wolf in that 
city was eleven thousand against abont five hundred 
for Eitner. 

But when the returns came in from the rest of the 




Lock on rut, i.iai^ Canal. 



State, it was soon found that there had been two 
strong tickets in the field. So large a vote was polled 
for Eitner that he nearly won the State outside of 
Philadelphia. And when people began to look for 
the cause of this they discovered that a vigorous new 
party had come into existence and that the Anti- 
Masons had shown their strength. 

Public Improvements. — Governor AVolf was a man 
of ability. Large sums had been borrowed for public 



232 AN ERA OF DEVELOPMENT 

improvements and more money was needed to com- 
plete tlie works under way. In addition to the canals, 
a new mode of travel and transportation was coming 
into use, the railroad. But the canals were just then 
the important thing, and he and his successors had 
the satisfaction of completing a system of water car- 
riage which rivalled the Erie Canal, or ^^ Clinton's 
big ditch," as it was called. 

The Free School System. — Another subject in which 
Governor Wolf took a warm interest was that of pub- 
lic schools. Schools of this kind, in which the children 
of the poor could be educated without cost, had been 
advocated in the Constitution, of 1790 and by all the 
governors since that date, but forty years had passed 
and nothing had been done. So far it was only the 
education of poor children that was thought of; no 
one had spoken of free schools for all. The first 
to advance this idea was Governor Wolf, in his 
message of 1830. Every year afterwards the ques- 
tion came up, but the opposition was strong and noth- 
ing was done until 1834. 

The Higher Education. — The State, meanwhile, did 
something for the higher education, appropriating 
money for the support of colleges and academies, 
with the condition that they should give free tuition 
to a certain number of children. Also a number of 
young men were to be educated as teachers. Chief 
among these institutions was the University of 
Pennsylvania. Others were Franklin College, at 
Lancaster; Lafayette College, at Easton; Dickinson 
College, at Carlisle; Jefferson College, at Canons- 
burg ; Washington College, at Washington ; Madison 



SCHOOL SYSTEM AND CONSTITUTION OF 1838 993 

College, at TJniontown; Allegheny College, at Mead- 
ville ; Pennsylvania College, at Gettysburg ; Marshall 
College, in Franklin County; and tlie Western Uni- 
versity, at Pittsburgh. 

It cannot be said that any of these institutions 
were prosperous, even with their allowances from 
the State — not very large ones. Dickinson College 
ended its work under Presbyterian control in 1832, 
and in the following year became a Methodist insti- 
tution. The academies had the same poor success 
as the colleges, the only successful one being the 
Friends' Public School in Philadelphia. Academies 
were founded and State grants given them, but the 
people failed to support them, and education was at 
a low ebb. 

Ignorance in the State. — It was time something was 
being done in the way of public education. In cer- 
tain parts of the State there were no schools of any 
kind and people grew up in ignorance. It is said that 
there were nearly four hundred thousand people in 
the State who could not read and write. In this 
Pennsylvania was behind the other Northern States, 
especially those of New England, which had good 
school systems. Governor Wolf proved an earnest 
friend of education. Ee-elected over his old oppo- 
nent in 1832, he continued to advocate a general sys- 
tem of public schools, and finally, in 1834, a bill 
was passed in the legislature by an almost unanimous 
vote, entitled *'An Act to establish a general system 
of education by common schools.'' 

The System Established. — Under the new law the 
State was divided into districts and school directors 



224 AN ERA OF DEVELOPMENT 

were provided. Seventy-five thousand dollars were 
appropriated yearly for the schools and soon after 
^ve hundred thousand dollars were granted for 
buildings. But there was trouble ahead for the new 
system. The legislature was in advance of public 
opinion. About half the districts either voted for 
**no schools" or failed to hold elections. Also the 
religious bodies, which had their own church schools, 
were opposed to secular schools, this being especially 
the case with the Germans. 

In fact, the opponents to the new law did their 
best to kill it. In the next election they voted largely 
for **no scliooP' men, and when the next legislature 
met, in December, 1834, the opposition to the school 
bill was strong in both Houses, and the Senate sent 
to the House of Kepresentatives a bill for the repeal 
of the school law. 

The Fight for the School Bill. — Two strong men 
came to the rescue of the common-school bill. One 
was Grovernor Wolf, who said to the legislature, 
'^If you dare to repeal I will veto, and make the 
common school question the issue of the next elec- 
tion." The other was a member of the House from 
Adams County named Thaddeus Stevens, an able 
and earnest man, who plunged into the arena and 
fought with all his force and eloquence for the bill. 
In political sentiment he was an extreme Anti- 
Mason, but he vowed that he would vote for a gov- 
ernor pledged to support the schools no matter to 
what party he belonged. 

His contest was so vigorous and unyielding that in 
the end he won the day, the vote against repeal being 



SCHOOL SYSTEM AND CONSTITUTION OF 1838 g25 

fifty-four to thirty-seven. Tlie bill was saved, 
changes being made in the law which gave it strength 
and simplicity. The opposition gradually gave way 
and the State of Pennsylvania was at last put on the 
true track of progress. But Governor Wolf lost the 
next election, that of 1835, largely through his strong- 
support of the school measure, Joseph Eitner, his 
old opponent, winning. The Anti-Masons, who sup- 
ported him, had also the majority in the House of 
Eepresentatives, but the school system was firmly 
established and no one since has thought of oppos- 
ing it. 

The United States Bank.— On Chestnut Street, 
Philadelphia, stood a famous institution, the United 
States Bank, chartered for twenty years in 1816. Its 
charter would expire in 1836, and the extension of 
the charter was in serious danger. President Jackson 
being bitterly opposed to it. It is only as a Philadel- 
phia institution that it need be mentioned here. 
Jackson vetoed the charter and caused the ruin of 
the bank by the withdrawal of the government de- 
posits, but these are matters belonging to United 
States history. 

When the charter of the bank ended, in 1836, a 
State charter was given it, and it continued to do 
business as a Pennsylvania institution. Soon came 
the great panic of 1837, when banks failed on all 
sides, but this held out for a few years longer before 
failure ended its existence. The handsome white 
marble building in which it dwelt is still an orna- 
ment to the city's finest street. 

Anti-Slavery Agitation.— During the decade from 
15 



226 AN ERA OF DEVELOPMENT 

1830 to 1840 the slavery question became of growing 
importance and Pennsylvania was one of its active 
centres. As already stated, tlie Friends of Phila- 
delphia had long opposed the institution, the first 
abolition society ever formed being instituted in 
Philadelphia before the Revolution. In 1790 the 
Pennsylvania Abolition Society was founded, with 
Franklin for president. In the years that followed 
the opposition of the Friends to slavery continued, 
but they were becoming a minor portion of the city's 
population, for new people, with new interests, now 
formed the bulk of the citizenship. 

After 1830 the agitation on the slavery question 
became very strong, and in 1832 the first national 
anti-slavery convention was held in Philadelphia. 
Its members spoke freely, denouncing slavery and 
calling for its suppression without compensation to 
the slave owners. To hold such a meeting in those 
days took courage. The South stood in a threatening 
attitude and the great majority of the northern 
people were still on the side of the slave holders. 

Riotous Proceedings. — Philadelphia had close com- 
mercial relations with the South, and this added to 
the growing bitterness of sentiment on the part of 
many of its people towards the abolitionists. Race 
riots became common in the streets between hos- 
tile groups of whites and blacks, the houses of 
negroes were burned, men were killed and wounded, 
and for days rioters ruled the city, defying the weak 
and incompetent police force. 

Pennsylvania Hall Burned.— The trouble reached its 
ultimate height in 1838. The abolitionists, finding it 



SCHOOL SYSTEM AND CONSTITUTION OF 1838 227 

difficult to rent halls for their meetings, built one for 
themselves capable of seating three thousand people. 
This, called Pennsylvania Hall, was on Sixth Street 
near Eace. After its dedication in May, 1838, plac- 
ards were posted about the streets calling for the 
people to prevent the meetings of the abolitionists. 
The mayor was asked for protection but gave only a 
weak promise, and on the evening of the third day 
a mob collected, hissed and hooted the speakers and 
threw stones through the windows. On the next 
night they broke into and fired the hall, breaking the 
gas pipes so as to add fuel to the flames. In a short 
time the building was a smoking ruin. Whittier, the 
poet, was one of the persons threatened by the fury 
of the mob. The night was one famous in the history 
of the anti-slavery movement. 

Financial Conditions. — By the end of Governor 
Eitner's term the public improvements and other 
State expenses had rolled up a debt of thirty million 
dollars. The canals did not pay the interest on their 
cost, and tlie expenses of the State surpassed its 
revenue by half a million dollars. A flood in the 
Juniata in 1838 destroyed forty miles of canal, 
which cost nearly a half million to repair, and about 
three million dollars were needed to complete the 
works. All this, combined with the hard times, gave 
the State finances a gloomy aspect. 

Railroad Building. — A new system of freight car- 
riage was at hand which in time would render much 
of the State's internal improvements of little value, 
particularly the canal between Pittsburgh and Co- 
lumbia, with its cumbersome Portage Eailroad over 



228 AN ERA OF DEVELOPMENT 

the Alleghanies. This new system was the steam 
railroad, which had begun a promising development. 
The first railroad in the State, except that at Rid- 
ley, Delaware County, already mentioned, was one 
from the Mauch Chunk coal mines to the Lehigh 
River, nine miles distant. This was built in 1827, 
horses supplying the motive power. The first to use 
a locomotive came in 1829, running from the coal 
mines of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company 
to the town of Honesdale. 

A road for passenger and freight traffic followed, 
extending from Philadelphia to Germantown. The 

first train, June 6, 
I . ..^,. «. ' 1^32, was drawn by 

horses, but on No- 
vember 23 a locomo- 
tive, called ''Old 
Ironsides, ' ' replaced 

PrixMitive Railway Train. the horSCS. It WaS 

capable of a speed of 
28 miles an hour. Next, in 1834, came the Columbia 
Railroad, built by the State and running from 
Philadelphia to Columbia. The cars at first were 
drawn by horses and anyone could use the road by 
paying for the privilege. Locomotives were put on 
it in 1835, and a new railroad, from Lancaster to 
Harrisburg, was put into operation. From that 
time forward railroad building progressed at a 
more rapid rate. 

Election of 1838.— In the 1838 election Governor 
Wolf was again a candidate, supported by the Wliig 
party, a new organization made up of the various 




SCHOOL SYSTEM AND CONSTITUTION OF 1838 229 

opponents of tlie Democracy. The Democratic candi- 
date was David E. Porter, the son of a Kevolutionary 
officer. Never, before or since, has there been a more 
virulent campaign. Atrocious lies were circulated 
about both the candidates and trickery and rascality 
of many kinds were practiced. The returns gave vic- 
tory to Porter, with about five thousand majority. 
This close vote was matched by an equally close one 
for members of the legislature. 

The Buckshot War. — A hot contest began as soon 
as the session opened. There were two contending 
delegations from Philadelphia, and each section of 
the House accepted its own Philadelphia delegation. 
Each claimed to be the legal legislature and nomi- 
nated its own speaker for the House, and the con- 
test filled Harrisburg with violent partisans, who 
hooted and cheered, carried a Speaker who offended 
them from the platform, and forced Thaddeus Ste- 
vens, a violent Whig, to jump out of a back window 
of the Senate chamber to the ground, 12 feet below. 

Governor Ritner at length called on the civil and 
military authorities for aid and sent a party of 
workmen to take possession of the arsenal. General 
Robert Patterson, of Philadeli)hia, was ordered 
to bring a military force to Harrisburg, and he set 
out with one hundred men. Buckshot were ordered 
for this force, but the bearer of this ammunition was 
waylaid b}^ the populace and deprived of his stores. 
Hence the title of the conflict. 

Wlien the troops reached Harrisburg General Pat- 
terson refused to let them be used for anything 
except to protect the public property and he was 



230 AN ERA OF DEVELOPMENT 

ordered home, a small detacliment being brought 
from Carlisle to replace him. As it proved, there 
was no nse for the troops. Three Whigs turned from 
their party to the Democrats, giving the latter a 
majority, and the struggle came to an end. 

Constitution of 1838. — The Legislature had now 
come under the conditions of a new Constitution, 
just adopted. The Constitution of 1790 had proved 
for various reasons unsatisfactory and delegates 
for a new one were elected in 1836 and met in Har- 
risburg. May 2, 1837, the convention continuing its 
sessions till February 22, 1838. The Constitution 
formed was voted on and accepted by the people in 
October, 1838. 

The changes made were not radical, though the old 
Constitution was improved in many minor points. 
The governors continued to be elected for three- 
year terms and the terms of Senators were reduced 
from four to thr^e years. The most important 
change was one limiting the power of appointment by 
the governor. He was allowed to appoint his Secre- 
tary of the Commonwealth and, with the consent of 
the Senate, all the judges. The county officers were 
made elective. 

A PERIOD OF DEBT AND DISORDER. 
A Home of Riot. — At the period with which we 
are now dealing Philadelphia had long ceased to be 
a ^'Quaker City," or a city of ^'Brotherly Love." 
In fact, it had become one of the most turbulent cities 
in the land, and people at a distance came to look 
upon it as a home of riot and disorder. There were 



A PERIOD OF DEBT AND DISORDER 231 

large numbers of ignorant and dissipated people, 
ready to take part in any street fight or disturbance^ 
the police system was worthless, and for years riots 
blackened the fair fame of the city. 

Disorderly Fire Companies. — There were many j&re 
companies in the city, the outcome of those founded 
by Franklin nearly a century before. These were 
made up of volunteer firemen, but until about 1825 
their members were quiet and well-behaved. In 
later years many men of rough character joined 
them and for years they were a menace to the city. 
Fights between the companies were frequent and 
fires were often started for the purpose of bringing 
out rival companies. Dwellings might burn to the 
ground while firemen were fighting for the use of a 
fire-plug, houses were plundered by thieves in the 
dress of firemen, and little heed was paid to the 
rights or safety of citizens. 

Other Riotous Parties. — Much of this disturbance 
was due more to the lawless retainers of the fire 
companies than to their members, and in addition 
there were gangs of disreputable men, known as 
Schuylkill Rangers and by other names, who fought 
bloody battles in the streets and made certain dis- 
tricts unsafe to live in. So unruly were the people of 
parts of the city, and so useless the police, that even 
the boys took part in the disorder, rival parties of 
them indulging in stone fights without regard to the 
safety of persons in the streets. It was not until 
near the Civil War period that respect for law and 
order was established. 

Attacks on the Negroes.— Apart from this state of 



232 AN ERA OF DEVELOPMENT 

general disorder, there were occasions of special 
disturbance. One of tliese was the hostility to the 
abolitionists which led to the burning of Pennsyl- 
vania Hall. In this period of excitement the negroes 
of the city found life and property unsafe. The 
riotous opponents of abolition seemed to cherish 
a special hostility to the blacks and attacked them 
on small provocation. On one occasion, in 1835, a 
race riot broke out in which the negroes were hunted 
for two nights, their houses burned, many of them 
beaten or otherwise maltreated, and most of them 
forced to flee from the city for safety. 

The Native American Riots. — The worst of all the 
outbreaks which at that time disgraced the city were 
the Native American riots of 1844. A political party 
had arisen opposed to foreigners and calling itself 
the Native American. In Philadelphia it developed 
a bitter hatred against the Catholics on account of 
their ^dews about the public schools. The trouble 
began in Kensington, in the northeast section of the 
city, where there were many Irish Catholics. 

Here an organization, formed to insist on the read- 
ing of the Bible in the public schools, began to hold 
meetings, as if with the purpose of provoking disor- 
ders. Irish hostility developed, the meetings were 
broken up, and the Hibernia Hose Company, a Catho- 
lic organization, fought with the members on the 
streets. During the fight a boy was killed while 
trying to defend the American flag. 

This event roused an intense excitement. The 
slain boy was regarded as a martyr to American 
institutions, and furious crowds gathered in the 



A PERIOD OF DEBT AND DISORDER 233 

streets who attacked the houses and churches of the 
Catholics. A multitude of excited Protestants 
marched into Kensington and a miniature battle 
broke out, the Catholics, who tired on the mob from 
their houses, having the best of it. The building of 
the Hibernia Hose Company was burned and the 
riots continued for several days. 

Among the Catholic churches attacked was St. 
Augustine's, on Fourth Street below Vine, which 
was set on fire and burned to the ground. Soldiers 
at length were called out and Governor Porter came 
to the city to take the matter in hand. His proclama- 
tion produced a temporary peace, but the embers of 
disorder still smouldered. 

The Fourth of July Outbreak. — The trouble was re- 
newed by a great Native American procession on the 
Fourth of July. The speeches made excited the old 
hostility and a new riot began, this time in Soutli- 
wark, also an Irish Catholic section. It had been 
reported that the Catholics were fortifying their 
churches and the doors of one of these were forced 
open and guns, ammunition, and pikes were found 
within. 

This redoubled the fury of the mob and the fight- 
ing grew desperate, the riot lasting for several days. 
The troops were again called out, the city was put 
under martial law, and a desperate battle ensued, 
the rioters obtaining a cannon which they loaded with 
chains, bolts and spikes and fired at the soldiers. 
Before the affray ended two of the soldiers and a 
dozen of the mob were killed. During the period 
of riot thirty houses, three churches, and a convent 



234: AN ERA OF DEVELOPMENT 

had been burned. One important result of this out- 
break was a new law organizing and increasing tlie 
police force of the city. While the spirit of dis- 
order was not quelled, no such flagrant examples of it 
were afterwards known. 

The Reign of Debt.' — When Governor Porter came 
into office, in 1838, he found the treasury empty and 
the State loaded with debt. About thirty million 
dollars were owing. There was no prospect of money 
to pay the interest on this debt, and it seemed as if 
the expenses of 1839 would leave a deficit of nearly 
four million dollars. The prospect was not encour- 
aging to the new governor. The canals were not 
completed and work on them could not stop. The 
debt had been accumulated in developing a great sys- 
tem of transportation and this could not be aban- 
doned. The only thing to do was to borrow. This 
could not be done from the banks, which the panic 
had ruined. In October, 1839, they suspended pay- 
ment. The Governor, however, succeeded in getting 
about six and a half million dollars in Europe and 
at home, paid the pressing debts, and continued the 
work on the canals. 

In the years that followed the debt trouble in- 
creased. New taxes were laid, but in August, 1842, 
there was no money to pay interest on the debt and 
certificates had to be given instead of cash. For two 
and a half years this continued, the credit of the 
State falling until the bonds sold at fifty per cent. 
jSTot until 1845 was the interest paid in money. The 
debt was then forty million dollars. But the hard 
times were at an end, prosperity had returned to the 



A PERIOD OF DEBT AND DISORDER 235 

country, and tlie State eventually paid all it owed, 
including interest on the delayed interest. 

The Spoilsman at Work. — Pennjsylvania had not 
been successful in handling its own public works. 
Corruption had developed, dishonest officials and 
others were filling their pockets with State money, 
and the spoilsman had his hand in the public purse. 
The party in power distributed passes and charged 
low freights to its friends, while the opposite party 
met with delays and high charges. On election day 
the workmen on the canals voted early and often, 
being carried on gravel trains from town to town to 
cast their votes in each. Evidently the system, under 
the conditions then existing, was a failure. 

Sale of Public Works.— In 1844 the public works had 
become such a burden and scandal that it seemed 
necessary to get rid of them, and an act for their 
sale was passed by the legislature and confirmed by 
the people. In 1843 Simon Cameron and some others 
had offered to buy the Philadelphia and Columbia 
Eailroad for three million dollars, but as it had 
cost the State four millions their offer was not 
accepted. The whole line of railroad and canal from 
Philadelphia to Pittsburgh had cost the State over 
fourteen million dollars and it was now in danger 
of being put out of business by the faster and cheaper 
railroad transportation. 

Yet the State, after its disheartening experience 
in transportation works, was in no mood to build a 
railroad across the State. Engineers had surveyed 
a route over the Alleghanies, near that of the Port- 
age line, and pronounced it available. The Baltimore 



236 AN ERA OF DEVELOPMENT 

and Ohio, one of tlie first railroads of tlie country, 
liad been granted the right of way from Cumberland 
to Pittsburgh, but the legislature enacted that if a 
new company was formed complying with certain 
conditions the grant to the Baltimore and Ohio would 
be declared void. In accordance with the terms of 
this act the Pennsylvania Eailroad Company was 
formed and in July, 1847, work on its line began. 
The road was finished in 1852 and the State line sold 
to the company in 1857. In 1858 the Sunbury and 
Erie line bought the remaining canals. 

Elections for Governor. — Porter was re-elected 
governor in 1841, his course in office having been 
approved by the people. Under the new Constitution 
no governor could hold the office for more than two 
consecutive terms and in 1844 Francis E. Sliunk, the 
Democratic candidate, carried the election, though 
by a small majority. He was re-elected in 1847, 
but died in the following year, and William F. John- 
ston, the Whig Speaker of the Senate, filled the 
office as the legal successor. There was a new elec- 
tion in 1848 and Jolinston won by a very small 
majority, the Democrats being defeated for the first 
time in many years. 

The Mexican War.— The Mexican War took place 
during Governor Shunk's administration, and six 
regiments were called for from the State by Presi- 
dent Polk. The volunteers amounted to nine regi- 
ments in all, but only two of these, with some de- 
tached companies, were mustered into service. Tliese 
distinguished themselves at Vera Cruz, Cerro 
Gordo, Chapultepec, and the city of Mexico, and a 



A PERIOD OF DEBT AND DISORDER 237 

lofty monument in tlieir honor was erected on Capi- 
tol Hill, Harrisburg. 

The German Language. — An act had been passed 
abolishing the printing of the laws in the German 
language and restricting them to English. As one- 
third of the people of the State were of German de- 
scent, and many of them spoke only the German 
tongue, this did not seem quite fair, and Governor 
Porter vigorously defended the rights of this sec- 
tion of the population. There were various counties 
in which German was the language of the people and 
the press, and was taught in the schools, and it 
seemed only just to give these people the opportunity 
to read the laws in the only language they could 
understand. 

Wlien a Superintendent of Public Printing was 
appointed, some years later, he was directed to 
receive bids for printing in both English and Ger- 
man, and until 1856 there were English and German 
State printers. German is still the language used 
in most of the churches of the German section and 
numbers of the people whose ancestors came here a 
century and a half ago do not yet speak English. 
What they do speak is a curious mixture of old Ger- 
man with English words, known as ^'Pennsylvania 
Dutch," which is used by a considerable portion of 
the people of the State. 

Girard College. — Stephen Girard, the richest 
American known up to that date, died in 1831, leav- 
ing a fortune of eight million dollars, nearly the 
whole of which was devoted by liis will to the public 
service. A large gift was made to the city of New 



238 AN ERA OF DEVELOPMENT 

Orleans, and the remainder to Pliiladelpliia, a great 
part of it to establish a college for the free support 
and education of orphan boys. Those born in Phila- 
delphia were to have preference, next in succession 
those of other parts of Pennsylvania, of New York, 
and of New Orleans. 

His directions as to how the college should be built 
were rigid and elaborate, but the board of directors 
interpreted them with all the freedom possible, erect- 
ing on the plot of ground given by Girard a hand- 
some white marble building, of Corinthian architec- 
ture. This took fifteen years to construct, is com- 
pletely fireproof, and is a notable ornament to the 
city. The fund was so carefully managed that it has 
increased to thirty million dollars, and thousands 
of orphan boys have been educated and given a good 
start in life through the aid of Girard 's benevolent 

foresight. 

Literary Progress.— During the period here treated 
the city of Philadelphia retained much of its literary 
prominence, issuing a number of magazines of wide 
circulation, which attracted contributors from all 
over the IJnion. Graham's Magazine was kept up to 
a high literary standard, Edgar Allan Poe being for 
a time its editor and contributing some of his best 
work to its columns. James Eussell Lowell also did 
editorial work on it, Longfellow sent it many fine 
poems, and many other leading literary men were 
connected with it. 

Two prominent writers of this era were born in 
the vicinity of the city, one of them Bayard Taylor, 
who sent his first poem to the Saturday Evening 



ANTI-SLAVERY AND THE CLOUDS OF WAR 239 

Post, of Philadelphia, in 1841. The other was 
Thomas Buchanan Read, born like Taylor in Chester 
County, and settling in Philadelphia in 1846. He 
gained fame as painter and poet, one of his best- 
known productions in both fields dealing with 
'^Sheridan's Ride.'' 

3. ANTI-SLAVERY AND THE CLOUDS OF WAR. 

Anti-Slavery Sentiment. — In the decade between 
1850 and 1860 the anti- slavery sentiment grew rap- 
idly in the North and the Free Soil party, an outcome 
of this sentiment, became strong in Pennsylvania. 
No such event as the burning of Pennsylvania Hall 
and the robbing of abolitionists could have been re- 
peated at this later period. The elections showed 
the trend of public opinion, though not in 1851, when 
Governor Johnston was renominated by the Whigs, 
but was defeated with about eight thousand majority 
by his Democratic opponent, "William Bigler. 

The Know-Nothing Party. — Meanwhile a. new party 
came into existence. This was an outgrowth from 
the Native American party. It developed in 1852, 
taking the name of American party, but was very 
secret in its methods, all questions about it being 
answered by *'I don't know." From this it received 
the popular name of the ^^Know-Nothing Party." 
Its motto was one of Washington's reputed sayings: 
^'Put none but Americans on guard to-night." It 
was opposed especially to the Catholics and less 
strongly to immigrants who were ignorant of or not 
loyal to American ideals. 

Elections of 1854 and 1857. — By 1854 the American 



240 AN ERA OF DEVELOPMENT 

party liad grown strong enough to contest the field 
for governor. The Whig party was breaking up and 
many of its members joined the new party, the effect 
being that its candidate for governor, James Pollock, 
was elected by a large majority. This was the one 
triumph of the party. By 1857 it had almost disap- 
peared, swallowed up in the growth of anti-slavery 
feeling and the more vital issue presented by the 
Free Soil party. In the election of that year the 
Free Soil candidate, David Wilmot, polled a large 
vote, though not enough to defeat the Democratic 
candidate, William F. Packer. 

The Republican Party. — Public 
opinion was now changing rapidly, 
and in 1856 a new party came into 
existence, the Eepublican, wide 
enough in its princij)les and pur- 
poses to absorb in a brief time the 
remnants of the various old par- 
ties opposed to the Democrats. 
Its first National Convention was 
held at Philadelphia in June, 1856, 
John C. Fremont being nominated as its candidate 
for President. James Buchanan, a prominent Penn- 
sylvania statesman, was the Democratic nominee. 
He won by a large majority in the country, but by a 
small one in his own State, which chose him by the 
small margin of one thousand votes. He was the 
only President ever selected from Pennsylvania. 

The Underground Railroad. — ^AYhile these open 
evidences of the growth of the anti-slavery sentiment 
in Pennsylvania were being shown, abundant secret 




ANTI-SLAVERY AND THE CLOUDS OF WAR 241 

ones were in evidence. For years past many slaves 
had escaped from their masters, making their way 
north and feeling secure when they reached a free 
State. But the enactment of the Fugitive Slave Law 
of 1850 put an end to this security. Safety now 
could be found only in Canada. To aid them in their 
flight to this harbor of refuge the system which be- 
came famous as *'The Underground Eailroad" was 
founded. 

It is said to have had its origin in the town of 
Columbia, on the Susquehanna, which had been a 
place of refuge for fugitive slaves. Their masters 
could often track them to this place, but here all 
traces of them vanished. Some one said that '^ there 
must be an underground railroad out of this place, ' ' 
and the phrase came into common use. 

Underground Stations. — ^All along the border of the 
State were stations of the Underground Eailroad, 
being especially numerous where Quakers resided. 
All through Chester and Delaware counties the run- 
away slaves could find hiding places. Thomas Gar- 
rett, a Wilmington Friend, of Pennsylvania birth, 
is said to have helped 2,700 slaves to escape. From 
Wilmington many of them made their way to Ches- 
ter, and the fugitive was passed onward from sta- 
tion to station until Canada was reached. The escap- 
ing slaves would travel in small parties by night, 
and be concealed by farmers and others in cellars, 
garrets, hay-lofts, and other hiding places by day. 

Many anecdotes are extant about the efforts of the 
slaves to seek freedom. In 1851 a United States 
marshal and his men attempted to arrest three fugi- 

16 



242 AN ERA OF DEVELOPMENT 

lives hidden in the cahin of a negro farm-hand at 
Christiana, Lancaster County. The demand to sur- 
render was followed by a shot from the garret and 
the blowing of a big dinner horn. Knowing the 
meaning of this signal, whites and blacks, variously 
armed, ran in every direction towards the cabin. 
The slave-owner, who accompanied the marshal's 
party, was warned to leave, but he declared he would 
have his property, *'dead or alive.'' A struggle fol- 
lowed in which he was mortally wounded by one of 
his own slaves. The slaves escaped and a number 
of the free colored men were arrested and indicted 
for treason, but none of them were convicted. 

Another interesting case arose from the attempt 
of a noted slave-taker and his friend to arrest two 
escaping slaves on the road between Wilmington 
and Chester. In the struggle that ensued the slave - 
taker fell dead and the frightened fugitives fled. It 
was thought that he had been stabbed, but it proved 
that the death was due to heart disease. On reaching 
Chester the slaves were arrested and locked up in the 
jail, but when the owner came for them the birds had 
flown. The Sheriff of the county was a Quaker with 
strong anti-slavery sentiments and he had quietly 
left the jail doors open and unguarded. The owner 
threatened prosecution, but nothing was done. 

One other notable case happened in 1855, when a 
North Carolina planter passed through Philadelphia 
with three of his slaves. Passmore Williamson, an 
agent of the Abolition Society, told the negroes that 
all men were free on Pennsylvania soil and held 
their master while they, aided by a number of their 



ANTI-SLAVERY AND THE CLOUDS OF WAR 243 

own race, escaped. Williamson was arrested, sent 
to prison, and tried for law-breaking. The case event- 
ually came before the State Supreme Court, the 
argument for the defendant being that the men were 
not escaping slaves, but were free men under Penn- 
sylvania law. 

The court decided that Williamson was under 
contempt to the lower court and could be cleared only 
by an apology to the court. This he refused to make, 
but was finally released on his declaration that the 
slaves were now beyond his control and could not be 
produced in court. 

The Panic of 1857 • — In January, 1857, Governor 
Pollock congratulated the people of the State on its 
Une state of prosperity and its recent bountiful har- 
vests. He saw no clouds on the horizon, either finan- 
cial or political. But they were there and soon 
showed themselves. A few months later a great 
financial panic spread over the United States and 
around the civilized world. 

It was due to over-speculation, ascribed to the 
harvests of gold in California and Australia. Some 
held that its main cause was the lower tariff of 1846. 
Banks became embarrassed and suspended specie 
payments and money grew very scarce. The legis- 
lature of Pennsylvania was called into extra session 
and suspended the penalties imposed by law on the 
banks for suspension of specie payments. It also 
gave financial aid to the banks. By this aid bank- 
ruptcy and ruin were avoided. As for the political 
clouds spoken of, they were fast gathering, soon to 
break in a deluging storm of war. 



244 AN ERA OF DEVELOPMENT 

War Clouds. — The war clouds, in fact, were near at 
hand. A state of civil war had arisen in Kansas ; the 
Dred Scott decision of 1857 declared that a slave 
taken into a free State remained a slave; and in 
1859 came the raid of John Brown and his execu- 
tion. Brown had made Chambersburg, Pennsyl- 
vania, his base of operations. His execution created 
a diversity of opinion, sympathy for him by the ex- 
treme Abolitionists, deprecation of his. act by the 
mass of the people. 

A meeting of Abolitionists was held in Philadel- 
phia on the morning of his execution, Lucretia Mott 
and other speakers expressing their sjTupathy. 
Their voices were drowned by a storm of hisses and 
groans. Two days later Brown's body was taken 
through the city and the. Abolitionists and colored 
people were eager to see it. A crowd gathered 
around the railroad station and violence was feared. 
To prevent this a trick was played on the throng. 
Six men marched solemnly from the station, bearing 
a box of the shape of a coffin, while the real body 
was quietly sent on its way to New York. 

Prohibition. — The movement for prohibition of the 
liquor traffic had become very active at this period. 
Maine, the banner State in the movement, had pro- 
hibited the sale of liquors in 1851 and other 
States were voting on the question. It was brought 
up in Pennsylvania in 1854, a law to establish it 
being voted on by the people. The country dis- 
tricts came out strongly in its favor. And though it 
was defeated, the majority against it was only about 
5,000 in a total vote of 322,000. 



ANTI-SLAVERY AND THE CLOUDS OF WAR 245 

Education. — Educational interests also were mak- 
ing marked jDrogress, the public school system rap- 
idly developing. Organized school districts existed 
now in all parts of the State, a separate Department 
of Education was instituted in 1857, and larger dis- 
tricts were established, each with the privilege of 
maintaining a normal school for the education of 
teachers. The first Teachers' Institute was held in 
Chester County in 1855, this being the seed of a per- 
manent institution. 

Denominational schools were still maintained by 
some of the religious sects, and there were many 
academies and private schools in the larger cities, 
especially in and around Philadelphia, but the free- 
school system was firmly established and had begun 
the healthy development which it has since mani- 
fested. 

Consolidation of Philadelphia. — By the middle of the 
century Philadelphia had grown into a large city, 
its population being about 360,000, while in the dis- 
trict around it, within the county limits, were numer- 
ous suburban settlements, with about 50,000 more 
population. The old city, as established by Penn, 
was bounded by the Delaware and the Schuylkill, 
by Vine and South Streets. The settlements around 
it, and practically part of it, existed as separate cor- 
porations, with governments of their own. 

These included the districts of Southwark, Moya- 
mensing. Spring Garden, the Northern Liberties, 
Kensington, North Penn, and Eichmond. Beyond 
the Schuylkill, West Philadelphia and Belmont had 
begun their growth, and at some distance lay the 



246 AN ERA OF DEVELOPMENT 

boroughs of Germantown and Manayunk. The rest 

of the county was divided into thirteen townships. 

This state of affairs led to complication in govern- 
ment and police service, and gave rise to much con- 
fusion in civic management. The police department 
was placed under one head in 1850, and in 1854 a final 
step was taken, the boundaries of Philadelphia being 
extended to the limits of the county and all the out- 
lying corporations absorbed. The movement was 
one of great utility, the whole great city being now 
one comj^act municipality, with the reins of govern- 
ment running from its centre to its extremities. 

The Petroleum Industry. — Something has been said 
about the various natural industries of the State. 
There is another of great importance to be spoken 
of, developed in the period under review. This is 
the petroleum or rock-oil industry. That mineral oil 
existed in northwest Pennsylvania had long been 
known. It had been found floating on the waters of 
streams and been gathered for medicinal purposes. 
But no one dreamed that vast stores of it lay beneath 
the surface of the ground. 

It was on August 28, 1858, that E. L. Drake, the 
first prospector, ^^ struck oiP^ on "Watson's Flats, 
near Titusville. He had driven a pipe down through 
sand and clay and bored through rock to a depth of 
about 70 feet, when oil oozed up to the surface. A 
pump was put in and oil brought up at the rate of 
twenty-five barrels a day. 

Since that date oil has been gathered in the district 
by millions of barrels, some of the flowing wells yield- 
ing it in vast quantities. The oil, first carried to 



ANTI-SLAVERY AND THE CLOUDS OF WAR 347 

market in tank wagons and cars, now flows tlirougli 
a network of pipes, some of them being great trunk 
lines extending to the seaboard cities several hun- 
dred miles away. And in connection with the oil 
have been found great deposits of natural gas, also 
carried through pipes to distant manufacturing cities 
and burned as fuel. 

Nickel and Zinc. — There are a few other minerals 
of which we may speak. The Gap Mines in Lancas- 
ter County, worked since 1718 for their copper, were 
also nickel mines, though this was not discovered 
until 1852, the nickel ore being thrown away with the 
refuse. Smelting works were then established for 
the nickel, much of which was obtained. 

In Lehigh County is a valuable zinc mine, which 
has been worked to a depth of two hundred and 
fifty feet. Like the nickel mine, it now lies idle. 
Among the fields of industry are the valuable slate 
quarries, which extend through an area of over six 
hundred square miles; the limestone deposits, also 
widespread; the brownstone and bluestone quar- 
ries; the valuable cement deposits, and mines of 
other minerals used in the arts. 



248 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 

PART VII 
QUESTIONS FOR EXA^IINATION 

1. What gave rise to the Anti-Masonic party? State the 
origin of the free school system. What governor and what 
legislator were instrumental in the passage of the free school bill? 
When did the anti-slavery agitation become active? What was its 
effect in Philadelphia? Which were the first railroads in the 
State? What was the Buckshot war? When was a new State 
Constitution made? 

2. In what way did Philadelphia cease to be a " City of 
Brotherly Love " ? Describe the Native American riots. What was 
the financial condition of the State after the 1838 panic? Why 
were the public works sold? What part did the State take in the 
Mexican War? State what was done about the use of the German 
language. Describe the building and utility of Girard College. 
What literary progress was made during this era? 

3. State the development of the Anti-slavery sentiment after 
1850. What was the purpose of the "Know Nothing" party? 
When and where was the first National Convention of the Re- 
publican party held, and who was its candidate for President? 
Give a brief description of the " Underground Railroad." To 
what was the panic of 1857 due? Describe the progress of pro- 
hibition, also of education. What was Philadelphia consolidated, 
and with what effect? Give an account of the finding of petroleum 
and of nickel and other metals. 



PART VIII. 
PENNSYLVANIA IN THE CIVIL WAR. 



1. THE OPENING OF HOSTILITIES. 
Republican Success. — The hostile relations hetween 
the North and the South, which for years had been 
developing and increasing in virulence, came to a 
crisis in 1860 with the success of the Republican 
party in electing Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency. 
War had not been anticipated by the people at large, 
but this victory of the Republican party was for 
some reason regarded by the leaders of the Soutli 
as a fatal blow to the institution of slavery, and 
they determined to withdraw their States from the 
Union, many of them appearing to suppose that this 
could be easily accomplished. 

As a result they precipitated one of the greatest 
wars of modern times, one that brought ruin to the 
South and desolation to thousands of families in the 
North. It was a contest in which the State of Penn- 
sylvania was more directly concerned than any other 
Northern State, since it was three times invaded and 
became the seat of the most momentous struggle of 
the war, the great battle of Gettysburg. For this 
reason the history of Pennsylvania has a large sig- 
nificance in that of the Civil War. 

Governor Curtin Elected. — The victory of the Re- 
publicans was presaged in Pennsylvania by the elec- 
tion in October of their candidate for governor, 

249 



350 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE CIVIL WAR 

Andrew G. Curtin, by a majority of tliirty-two thous- 
and. In tlie November election Lincoln received 
ninety thousand majority, a great victory for the 
new party in a State that for many years had rarely 
seen a Democratic defeat. Either opposition to the 
slave system or resentment against the threats of the 
Southern leaders had grown immensely to yield so 
great a change in a State that had long been re- 
garded as a Democratic stronghold. 

Governor Packer's Views. — The extent of the Re- 
publican victory caused alarm in conservative circles. 
Governor Packer, in his farewell message, took a 
stand against secession, but declared that the anti- 
slavery laws on the statute book were extreme and 
ought to be modified. Slave owners had formerly 
had the privilege of taking slaves with them as ser- 
vants when passing through the State, and he 
thought that this privilege should be restored. Reso- 
lutions were introduced into the Legislature favoring 
the restoration to their masters of fugitive slaves. 

A Spasm of Alarm. — The strong secession feeling 
in the South led to action outside the legislative halls. 
A mass meeting was held in Independence Square, 
Philadelphia, on December 13, 1860, attended by 
about fifty thousand people and was presided over 
by the mayor. The speeches were instinct with 
alarm and intimated that it would be wise to comply 
with the demands of the South. The resolutions 
were of the same conciliatory character and ended 
with the statement that ^ ^ all denunciations of slavery 
as existing in the United States are inconsistent with 
the spirit of brotherhood and kindness.'' 



THE OPENING OF HOSTILITIES 251 

Excitement at Pittsburgh. — This conception of 
brotherhood between the sections certainly did not 
then exist in the South, which was fulminating dis- 
union, South Carolina passing its ordinance of seces- 
sion in a week after this meeting. And it did not 
long exist in Pennsylvania. Later in the month a 
different spirit was manifested in Pittsburgh. Presi- 
dent Buchanan's Secretary of War, John B. Floyd, 
of Virginia, had been using his opportunity to 
strengthen the military posts in the South and move 
munitions of war from the North, and he extended 
this practice to western Pennsylvania. 

Late in December there came an order from the 
War Department to ship down the Ohio to New 
Orleans 700 tons of arms and ammunition from the 
arsenal at Lawrenceville, Alleghany County. This 
led to excited meetings in Pittsburgh, and heated 
resolutions were passed, calling upon the President 
to purge his cabinet of disloyal members. A com- 
mittee was sent to Washington to protest against 
the order, but meanwhile cannon were being loaded 
on the steamer. A public outbreak was imminent 
when a telegram came from Edwin M. Stanton, the 
Attorney-General of the United States, that the 
order would be countermanded. 

Weakness of the President. — Buchanan, an old man 
and one unfit to grapple with so stringent a situation, 
did little credit to his native State, displaying great 
lack of energy and decisiveness. Wliile State after 
State was seceding in the South and a new Confed- 
eration being organized, he was offering compro- 
mises to which no Southern leader would listen, and 



252 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE CIVIL WAR 

helplessly permitting the Southern members of his 
cabinet to use their posts in aid of tlie warlike move- 
ment in the seceded States. Even when Fort Sum- 
ter was besieged he took no steps, but quietly sub- 
mitted to the hostile drift of events. His theory was 
that he had no right to force any State to remain in 
the Union. 

The Governor's Attitude. — With the inauguration 
of Governor Curtin — the ^^War Governor" he was 
afterwards called — on January 15, 1861, a new spirit 
entered into Pennsylvania politics. There was no 
more talk about conciliation and brotherhood, but a 
stem attitude of resistance to the Southern move- 
ment. Curtin pledged himself to the defence of the 
Union and the Constitution against all enemies, and 
the Legislature took a similar stand. In this they 
had the firm support of the great majority of the 
people. 

Lincoln's Journey to Washington An interesting 

occasion was that of Lincoln's passage through 
Penns3dvania on his way to Washington for his in- 
auguration. He reached Harrisburg on Febru- 
ary 22d, Washington's birthday, and was enthusias- 
tically received, the members of both Houses meeting 
in the Assembly chamber to hear an inspiring 
address in his vigorous oratory. So far he had come 
in safety through a friendly country, but danger 
appeared to threaten him in the remainder of his 
journey, some of those with him believing that an 
attempt would be made to assassinate him on his way 
through Baltimore, at that time a nest of disloyalty. 
The danger was felt to be imminent and a plan was 
devised to take him through that city secretly. 



THE OPENING OF HOSTILITIES 253 

The Conspirators Foiled.— It had been widely pub- 
lished that Lincoln would leave for Washington on 
the morning of February 23 by the Northern Central 
Eailroad, and he protested strongly against any 
change in this plan. He was overruled by Governor 
Curtin, Colonel Scott, President of the Pennsylvania 
Eailroad Company, and others, who feared for his 
life. They insisted that he should leave Harrisburg 
secretly that evening, go to Philadelphia, and pass 
through Baltimore without the knowledge of the con- 
spirators, and to this he finally consented. 

A carriage was brought and the Governor and 
President-elect were driven towards Curtin's house, 
with the purpose of deceiving the waiting throng. 
Before reaching there tbe carriage was turned and 
driven rapidly to the station, where a special train 
was taken for Philadelphia. When the time needed 
to reach Washington had elapsed Colonel Scott and 
his friends anxiously awaited a cipher message which 
had been agreed upon. It came early the next day, 
* opiums delivered nuts safely," and they knew that 
all was well. 

That any plot of assassination really existed is 
very doubtful and Lincoln afterwards regretted that 
he had yielded to his alarmed friends. Yet the riot- 
ous spirit that was shown in Baltimore shortly after- 
wards indicated that it would not have been wise 
for Lincoln to traverse it openly. 

Lincoln Takes Hold.— On the 4th of March, 1861, 
President Lincoln replaced his irresolute predeces- 
sor and a new spirit came into the national councils. 
Lincoln did not propose to begin war or to interfere 
with the slave system, but he did propose to retake 



254 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE CIVIL WAR 

the forts and tlie national property which the Confed- 
eracy had seized. On April 8 he notified the Gover- 
nor of South Carolina that men and provisions would 
be sent to Fort Sumter and a few days later the fort 
was fired on from the surrounding batteries. 

The First Defenders.— On April 14, Fort Sumter 
was evacuated, and on the 15th President Lincoln 
called for 75,000 three-month troops, the quota of 
Pennsylvania being 14,000. The response was im- 
mediate and gratifying. The firing on the flag had 
roused the people as no question of slavery or non- 
slavery could have done. Five companies of militia 
at once responded, the first of them reaching Harris- 
burg the day after the President's call. In the 
streets of Baltimore they were threatened by the 
same mob that attacked the Sixth Massachusetts 
the next day. A rain of missiles was poured upon 
the cars, and when the train for Washington was 
boarded the mob sought to derail the cars and break 
the machinery. The troops went safely through, 
however, being the first from the North to reach 
Washington. 

These resolute Pennsylvania soldiers included the 
Einggold Light Artillery, of Beading; the Washing- 
ton Artillery and the National Light Infantry, of 
Pottsville ; the Logan Guards, of Lewistown ; and the 
Allen Eifles, of Allentown. Under the title of the 
*^ First Defenders' Association," the survivors of 
these companies still keep up their organization. As 
regards the fourteen regiments called for, enough 
men for many more regiments offered themselves. 
The excess of those over the call were held by the 



PENNSYLVANIA IN 1862 255 

governor in the service of the State, under the name 
of the Pennsylvania Reserves. 

Camp Curtin. — A camp, called Camp Curtin, was 
established in the northwest suburbs of Harrisburg, 
and into this recruits poured by the thousands, over- 
flowing the whole surrounding district. This camp 
was afterwards taken over by the national govern- 
ment and formed one of its great distributing and 
convalescent centres. In the opening era of the war 
Pennsylvania furnished more and better equipped 
troops than any other State. 

2. PENNSYLVANIA IN 1862. 

The Pennsylvania Reserves. — Simon Cameron, then 
Secretary of War, a leader in Pennsylvania politics, 
Thaddeus Stevens, then a member of Congress, and 
Governor Curtin, all thought that the 75,000 men 
called for by the President were a very inadequate 
force for the coming struggle, and they were glad 
to have the extra regiments of the Pennsylvania 
Reserves. These numbered 16,000 men, there being 
thirteen regiments of infantry, one of cavalry, and 
one of artillery. They enlisted for three years and 
were drilled and equipped ready for any new call 
that might come. Major-General George A. McCall 
commanded the corps, the brigadier-generals being 
George A. RejTiolds, George G. Meade, and Edward 
0. C. Ord, all men of prominence in the war. In 
addition to these Pennsylvanians who won fame in 
the war may be named General George B. Mc- 
Clellan, a native of Philadelphia, the first com- 
mander-in-chief, and General Winfield S. Hancock, 



256 



PENNSYLVANIA IN THE CIVIL WAR 



born in Montgomery County, who became the Dem- 
ocratic candidate for the Presidency in 1880. 

A call for the Reserves came in July, 1861, after 
the disastrous battle of Bull Run, when the defeated 
Union troops came rushing in panic back to Wash- 




General George B. McClellan. 

ington. The Reserves were at once ordered to 
Washington by the President, and this welcome re- 
inforcement of drilled troops did much to strengthen 
the hands of the government. They proved fine sol- 
diers and won honor and glory before their terms 
expired. 



PENNSYLVANIA IN 1862 257 

Aid to the Troops.— Southward marched the troops 
from the North during the years that followed, many 
of them through Pennsylvania, they being received 
everywhere with enthusiasm. The people showered 
kind acts upon them. Whole train-loads were boun- 
tifully supplied with food and coffee, and in Phila- 
delphia the Union and Cooper-shop refreshment 
saloons were kept open during the war, freely and 
amply supplied by the people and feeding and caring 
for countless regiments marching to the front or 
returning home. Nearly a million of soldiers are 
said to have been thus fed and refreshed. Another 
act of the Philadelphians was the opening of a fair 
in Logan Square, to which the people generously con- 
tributed, and in which $1,500,000 was raised for the 
benefit of the sick and wounded. 

Stuart's Raid. — Penns^dvania lay so near the 
borders of Virginia, on whose soil battles were fought 
and soldiers were marching to and fro, that an invas- 
ion of the Keystone State was at any time among the 
possibilities. In the western section it was needed 
only to cross the narrow area of Maryland and the 
Mason and Dixon line would be reached. Less than 
a day would take a troop of horsemen over the 
border. In September, 1862, the bloody battle of 
Antietam was fought at no great distance from the 
Pennsylvania boundary line. In October, a month 
later, the dashing cavalry leader. General J. E. B. 
Stuart, crossed the border and made a cavalry raid 
through the fertile region leading to Chambersburg, 
plundering houses and everything else available as 
he galloi:)ed northward through fertile Franklin 
County. 

17 



258 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE CIVIL WAR 

The venture was a risky one, for western Maryland 
was well occupied by Union troops, and in all direc- 
tions columns marched to cut off his retreat when 
tidings of the daring raid were received. Eiding at 
full speed, Chambersburg was reached in the even- 
ing of October 10. That night the riders encamped 
in and around the town, the tramp of horses and 
camp cries of men keeping the people in a state of 
vivid alarm all night long. 

Little damage was done, however. A raid was 
made on a warehouse containing military stores, of 
which they packed all they could on the horses they 
had picked up in their hasty ride northward. The 
rest were burned by firing the building, the flames 
spreading to and consuming the railroad station. No 
harm was done to private houses, and in the early 
morning the raiders turned their horses' heads south- 
ward and rode fast for Yirginia's fair fields. 

By this time pursuers were closing in on all sides 
upon their track, but they succeeded in reaching the 
Potomac without meeting an enemy. Here they were 
attacked by a number of detachments that had 
headed them off and a brief engagement ensued. It 
failed to check the raiders and Stuart in the end suc- 
ceeded in fording the river with little loss, carrying 
his plunder safely into Virginia. 

3. THE BATTLE FIELD OF GETTYSBURG. 
Pennsylvania's Greatest Battle. — In the early sum- 
mer of 1863 Pennsylvania saw the greatest battle 
ever fought on its soil, one of the greatest ever 
fought on the American continent, the critical con- 



THE BATTLE FIELD OF GETTYSBURG 259 

flict in tlie great Civil War and the turning point in 
the mighty struggle between the North and the 
South. This fact gives this battle extreme impor- 
tance and calls upon us to describe it at some 
length. If General Lee had been successful on that 
occasion, no one can estimate the result. The great 
cities of Philadelphia and Baltimore might have 
fallen, Washington, the seat of government, might 
have been captured, and the dissolution of the Union 
might possibly have been achieved. Fortunately all 
these conceivable disasters were averted and the tide 
of Confederate victory was turned back. 

A Hopeful Design. — General Lee and his army had 
reason to look with desire and hope on the rich fields 
and full granaries of Pennsylvania, its busy factories 
and thriving towns and cities, lying within easy reach 
and ripe with promise of splendid spoil. His first 
movement in that direction had been checked on 
the field of Antietam. His great victory at Chan- 
cellorsville inspired him to try again. Early in June, 
1863, his army was put secretly in motion, its march 
up the Shenandoah Valley hidden by the lofty wall 
of the Blue Ridge, and the advance had made con- 
siderable progress northward before the Union com- 
manders suspected his design and began a hasty 
countermarch on the other side of the mountain 
barrier. 

The Voice of Alarm.— The northward march of the 
Confederate army was preceded by minor move- 
ments and alarming reports. All along the border 
line ran the rumor of coming peril. Stanton, the 
Secretary of War, warned Pittsburgh of the possible 



260 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE CIVIL WAR 

danger of its gunsliops being taken and destroyed. 
All work in the huge iron plants at once ceased, and 
for two weeks the workmen were kept busy, throw- 
ing up earthworks to defend the city. At Philadel- 
phia, on the other end of the State, the same was 
done, earthworks being thrown up to defend the line 
of the Schuylkill. At Harrisburg, in the centre, the 
alarm was great and works of defence on the west 
side of the Susquehanna were hastily built. 

The Vanguard Arrives. — There was warrant for 
alarm, for the vanguard of the great army soon en- 
tered the State, Confederate scouts made their ap- 
pearance at several i^laces, while on June 15 a detach- 
ment of cavalry rode into Greencastle and in the 
evening reached Chambersburg, the scene of Stuart's 
raid of the year before. This was more than a raid ; 
it was the first step in an invasion. Horses and food 
were sought in the country around and the troop 
rode on to Carlisle, to which town soon after came 
General Ewell, with the infantry vanguard of Lee's 
army. He reached there on June 27, and remained 
until the night of the 30th, seizing all the supplies 
obtainable and threatening Harrisburg, raids being 
made to within a few miles of that city. All through 
the Cumberland Valley the people were in motion, 
fleeing across the Susquehanna with horses, cattle, 
and other movable wealth. Its effect was like that of 
the Indian raids of the far past. 

A Cavalry Fight. — General Stuart, meanwhile, with 
the famous cavalry corps of Lee's army, had made a 
long detour to the west, an injudicious movement 
that yielded no useful results and deprived Lee of 



THE BATTLE FIELD OF GETTYSBURG 261 

his cavalry at a critical period, Stuart not being able 
to reach the field until the final day of the fight. It 
was known that Stuart had not crossed the Potomac 
with Lee and no one knew just where he had gone. 
He suddenly made his appearance at Hanover, York 
County, on June 30. The troops of General Kil- 
patrick had just reached that place and were dis- 
mounted, eating in the streets a luncheon served by 
the people of the town, when they were suddenly 
attacked by Stuart's forces in the rear. 

Quickly recovering from the effect of this onset, 
Kilpatrick's men hastily mounted, rode out of the 
town, and formed into line of battle, a sharp fight 
beginning which lasted until nightfall. Its result 
was a repulse of Stuart's force. 

Carlisle and York. — There were other side issues 
of the great battle which must be spoken of. Gover- 
nor Curtin, learning of the near approach of the 
invaders, issued a call on June 26 for 60,000 volun- 
teers to defend the State. There was an immediate 
response, and a force of volunteers, under General 
William F. Smith, occupied Carlisle immediately 
after Ewell marched out. He had barely encamped 
when a body of Confederate cavalry appeared and 
fired upon the town, demanding its surrender. On 
Smith's refusal they shelled the place, setting it on 
fire. They were quickly recalled. The figliting at 
Gettysburg had begun and all troops were needed at 
that point. 

Some days earlier a division of Swell's corps, led 
by General Early, had appeared at Cashtown. Here 
it divided, Gordon's brigade moving towards Gettys- 



262 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE CIVIL WAR 

burg, eiglit miles away, wliile Early advanced on 
York, occupying it on the 27tli. There had been a 
small body of troops stationed here, but these fell 
back to Wrightsville, on the Susquehanna, opposite 
Columbia. A slight skirmish took place here, but the 
citizens burned the bridge across the river, and that 
stream could not be crossed. No damage was done 
in York, but its citizens were obliged to contribute 

goods and money 
to the value of 
$35,000 on Early^s 
demand. 

The Northward 
March. — Such were 
the preliminary 
events of the great 
battle about to 
come. Of little im- 
jDortance in them- 
selves, they are of 
interest as heralds 

General George G. Meade. n ^ i • 

01 the approachmg 
struggle. Behind Ewell marched Lee with the re- 
mainder of his army. The Union army was also 
hastening north at the utmost possible speed. Lee 
had won precedence in the race, but the vanguard 
of his foes was near at hand. General Hooker had 
resigned his position in Maryland and General 
Meade was appointed to succeed him. The great 
contest for the rescue of Pennsylvania was to be 
fought by a son of the soil. 

Reynolds and Hill.— It was on the last day of June 




THE BATTLE FIELD OF GETTYSBURG 263 

that Meade readied tlie State border, making Taney- 
town, thirteen miles south of Gettysburg, his head- 
quarters. He selected what appeared an excellent 
line of defence near this place, but the logic of events 
forced him to give it up and resume his northward 
march. An advance corps under Eeynolds, Meade's 
second in command, had advanced to Gettysburg, his 
vigilant scouts seeking traces of the enemy as he 
went. On reaching Gettysburg he found himself 
confronted by a superior Confederate force imder 
General Hill, who had been ^Dressing forward to the 
same place. The vanguards of the two armies had 
met face to face and the battle was on. 

Death of Reynolds. — All day long on July 1 the 
roar of battle tilled the air and struggling troops 
fought in the streets and the environs of the little 
town. But early in the fight the Union force met 
with a serious loss. Eeynolds was riding forward to 
select ground for his battle line, when a sharp- 
shooter's bullet laid him dead on the soil. General 
Doubleday took command, but the news of their loss 
was disheartening to the troops and they were gradu- 
ally forced back by Hill's impetuous advance. 

A Union Defeat. — The battle went on in and about 
the town until noon, when General Howard rein- 
forced the struggling army with the 11th Corps. 
But the enemy had also received reinforcements and 
grown in strength, and now advanced with a 
superior force, threatening to overlap both wings of 
the Union army. Before its tremendous onset the 
Federals gave way. They had lost heavily and the 
depleted regiments were driven back through Gettys- 



264 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE CIVIL WAR 

burg to a ridge of elevated ground to the soutli. This 
had been used for a cemetery and was known as 
Cemetery Eidge. Eeynolds had perceived its stra- 
tegic value, and ordered earthworks to be thrown up, 
and behind these the exhausted army, which had 
been fighting desperately all day long, took shelter 
for the night. 

The Forced Night March. — When the news of the 
disaster to Eeynold's army and the death of its com- 
mander reached Meade he quickly changed his plans. 
The imperilled corps must be saved and the favor- 
able ground which they now occupied promised well 
for a battle line. General Hancock, another son of 
Pennsylvania, was sent forward with all speed to 
take command of the forces at Gettysburg and the 
troops were also set in motion. All night long they 
made their way towards Cemetery Eidge, by every 
available road. Lee also came up with the remainder 
of his army and took post on Seminary Eidge, a 
lower elevation facing that which Hancock's men 
occupied. Face to face stood the two great armies, 
each about eighty thousand strong. It was evident 
that the day now dawning was to be one of desperate 
battle. 

The Battle Field. — The town of Gettysburg lies in 
a beautiful valley, bounded on its western side by 
a low ridge running north and south, its nearest 
point about half a mile from the town. The buildings 
of the Lutheran Seminary give their name to this hill. 
The valley is about a mile wide, Cemetery Eidge 
bordering its eastern side. In one direction, three 
miles from Gettysburg, lies the conical wooded hill 



THE BATTLE FIELD OF GETTYSBURG 



265 



called Eound Top, and just north of it Little Round 
Top, not so high and covered with boulders. 




Plan of the Battlk of Gettysburg. 



^NTorth of this the ridge sinks away towards its 
northern end, but here it again rises, turning sharply 
eastward. This elevation is known as Gulp's Hill.. 



2Qe PENXSYLVAXIA IX THE CIVIL WAR 

The Confederate line was nearly eiglit miles long. 
That of the Union troops had the advantage of being 
shorter and thus better adapted to move troops 
quickly to points of attack or defense. 

Sickles's Division Repulsed. — It was late on July 2 
when the battle began. Much had to be done in the 
way of building defences, arranging lines, distribut- 
ing ammunition, and in other military necessities. 
It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon when Lee opened 
with artillery on Meade's left, while under cover of 
the fire Confederate troops advanced to the assault. 
By an error of judgment General Sickles had ad- 
vanced his lines too far into the open valley and 
lay exposed to a furious fire. Longstreet attacked 
him in strength and the corps was driven back with 
heavy loss. Sickles was wounded and Humphreys, 
who took his place, lost 2000 of his 5000 men in 
receding to the situation that should have been 
occupied originally. 

The Fight for Little Round Top. — For some reason 
Little Round Top, an important vantage point, had 
not been occupied. General Warren discovered this 
error and hurried troops to its defence, guns being 
pulled by hand up its steep slope. They were barely 
in time, for a strong Confederate force was at that 
moment mounting its opposite side. A hot contest 
took place amid its boulder-covered slopes, the Union 
forces finally winning, though with heavy loss on 
both sides. It was a victory of the utmost value, 
since if Longstreet 's men had held it they could have 
enfiladed the Union line with cannon shot and gained 
an immense advantage in the next day's battle. 



THE BATTLE FIELD OF GETTYSBURG 2G7 

There was iigiiting on other parts of the line, but at 
nightfall the Union line was intact except for a short 
distance on Gulp's Hill. 

The Third Day's Battle.— On the third day the 
battle began early on Culp's Hill, the lost ground 
being recovered after a severe contest. But the great 
and decisive work of that day was deferred to one 
o 'clock, when Lee opened on the centre of the Union 
line with a tremendous artillery fire. Meade re- 
sponded and for two hours the greatest artillery duel 
ever fought in America went on, more than two huD- 




dred guns hurling their destructive missiles into the 
opposing ranks. At length the Union fire slackened, 
and Lee, supposing that he had silenced Meade's 
guns, unmasked his plan. 

Pickett's Fatal Charge.— :From under the smoke of 
the guns there appeared a long line of infantry, 
crossing the plain towards the Union centre. Fif- 
teen thousand strong, led by General Pickett, a dar- 
ing Virginian, they intrepidly marched across the 
intervening mile of plain, though torn by grape and 
canister from a hundred guns, swept to death by the 



268 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE CIVIL WAR 

fire of long lines of infantry, falling in hundreds as 
they pressed valiantly forward. 

On they came, even to the cannon's mouth, into 
^'the bloody angle" of the stone wall that fronted the 
Union line. For a brief interval a Confederate flag 
waved over the Union guns. Then the Federal 
troops swarmed in, and those who had come to con- 
quer remained as captives. The others broke and 
fled, and the desperate struggle was at an end. Lee 
was decisively defeated. In those three days of 
battle he had lost over twenty thousand men. 
Meade had lost twenty-three thousand, but he had 
saved his State. 

Lee's Retreat. — There was some other fighting on 
that eventful day. Stuart had at length reached 
Lee's lines and a fierce cavalry fight took place 
between him and Gregg, the latter winning the vic- 
tory. On the next day, July 4, Lee took up his sor- 
rowful line of retreat towards the Potomac, a sadly 
disappointed man. Meade employed the next two 
days ^'in succoring the wounded and burying the 
■dead" and then followed his defeated foe. 

The Gettysburg Cemetery. — The North for the first 
time had felt the tread of Confederate hosts upon its 
soil and had emerged victorious. On Governor Cur- 
tin's suggestion, the several States which had 
regiments in the battle joined in purchasing ground 
for a cemetery for the burial of the Union dead. 
Pennsylvania presented the grounds, the other 
States supplied funds to maintain them. The ceme- 
tery was dedicated on November 19, 1863, President 
Lincoln being present and making a brief but highly 



THE BATTLE FIELD OF GETTYSBURG 



269- 



felicitous address, wliicli lias become famous among 
examples of American oratory. In it he speaks of 
the cemetery as *^a final resting place for those who 
gave their lives that the nation might live." 
Gettysburg National Park. — The cemetery became 




AlONUMENT TO THE 91 ST PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS ON LiTTLE RoUND 

Top, OvEKLooKiNG Gettysburg Battlefield. 

the property of the United States in 1872, and the 
whole battlefield is now the property of the nation 
and has been made into an attractive and impressive 
military park. Avenues have been opened which 
follow the lines occupied by the battling armies, and 



270 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE CIVIL WAR 

the old soldiers of tlie many regiments which took 
part in the momentous struggle have marked their 
various positions on the field or the sites of the 
death of officers or comrades by suggestive monu- 
ments, more than four hundred in all, and miany of 
them splendid works of sculpture. Gettysburg Mili- 
tary Park will long remain a place of patriotic resort 
for loyal Americans. 

4. LATER EVENTS IN AND AFTER THE WAR. 

A Cavalry Invasion. — A year later than the date 
of the Gettysburg battle Pennsylvania was again in- 
vaded, this time not by an army but by a band of 
swift-riding cavalry. Similar to the raid of Stuart 
in 1862, it sought the same goal, the town of Cham- 
bersburg, capital of Franklin County and one of the 
first towns of any size over the border. General 
Early was then dominant in the Shenandoah Valley 
and had entered Maryland, where he defeated Lew 
Wallace and on July 11 appeared before Fort 
Stevens, one of the defences of Washington. Only 
that he stopped to give his men a needed rest the 
capital city might have been taken. Wliile they 
were resting the forts were being-garrisoned and the 
daring Confederate had to retreat to the Shenan- 
doah Valley. It was after this retreat that he sent 
his cavalry to invade Pennsylvania. 

Chambersburg in Peril — On the 29th of July, 1864, 
Early's body of raiders appeared before the quiet 
valley town, which had twice before been entered by 
Confederate troops, those of Stuart in 1862 and those 
of Lee in 1863. Early's raiders, three thousand 



LATER EVENTS IN AND AFTER THE WAR 271 

strong, made tlieir entry at dayliglit of tlie 30th,. 
planting two batteries and firing a few sliots before 
entering the unresisting town. McCausland, the- 
leader, treated the townsmen in a very different 
manner from that of Stuart. He demanded a 
ransom of $500,000 in greenbacks or $200,000 in gold 
and gave warning that this must be paid in half an 
hour or the town would be burned. He was told 
that Chambersburg could not and would not pay 
such a ransom. 

Other measures were then tried. The* court house 
bell was rung by McCausland's order, for a public 
meeting, but the citizens did not respond. Then some 
of the leading citizens were seized and threats made 
to carry them as prisoners to Eichmond if they did 
not pay the sum demanded. As none of these efforts 
availed, the soldiers were ordered to fire the town. 

The Burning of Chambersburg. — No time was lost 
in this work. Houses were broken into, their inmates 
driven out, many articles of value stolen, oil poured 
on the furniture, and the match applied. In a brief 
time the town burst into flames and the terror- 
stricken inhabitants were flying for their lives. In 
a few hours' time -three million dollars worth of 
property had been reduced to ashes and three thous- 
and people were homeless fugitives, many of them 
losing all they possessed. Then McCausland and his 
men rode away, with little profit from their raid but 
leaving misery and woe in their path. 

They had no time to waste, for General Averill, 
with 2600 cavalry, was at Greencastle, ten miles 
away. The raiders had by their devious movements- 



273 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE CIVIL WAR 

distracted the attention of their enemies, but Averill 
now put himself in active pursuit, following the 
raiders to Hancock, on the Potomac, where they 
crossed. Though Chambersburg was lost, he saved 
McConnellstown from a similar fate. 

The Losers Repaid. — Tliis was the last appearance 
of Confederate troops over the border. During 
the war much loss had been sustained by the people 
near the Mason and Dixon line, and the State Legis- 
lature felt that these people should be remunerated 
for their losses. A commission was therefore ap- 
pointed to consider their claims and estimate the 
damages. These were found to amount in all to 
$3,500,000 and this sum was paid by the State. It 
was one of the minor expenses of the war. 

Resources of the State. — Governor Curtin remained 
in control during the war, he being elected a second 
time in 1863. He was an able and energetic execu- 
tive and worked manfully to aid the government in 
every way in his power. As he stated, in his message 
at the end of the war, *^The resources of Pennsyl- 
vania, whether in men or money, had neither been 
withheld nor squandered. ' ' The State had been finan- 
cially in good condition when t-he war opened, and 
continued so throughout, the debt being reduced by 
more than ^ve million dollars, in spite of war ex- 
penses incurred. 

The Soldiers of Pennsylvania. — The men supplied 
by Pennsylvania were, all told, 362,284, comprising 
270 regiments and a number of unattached com- 
panies. In addition there were 25,000 more whom 
the Gettysburg emergency called into service. Each 



LATER EVENTS IN AND AFTER THE WAR 273 

regiment was given a battle-flag, bearing its number 
and the State coat-of-arms. The earlier ones, in- 
cluding tlie Eeserves, had also on their flags the 
titles of battles fought in by regiments of the same 
number in earlier wars of the republic. Governor 
Curtin presented these flags in person and received 
many of them back, in most cases tattered and torn, 
in some stained with the blood of their bearers. 
These interesting relics are preserved in the Capitol 
at Harrisburg. 

Soldiers' Orphans. — When giving battle-flags to the 
regiments the governor told them that the State 
would care for the children of those who had fami- 
lies, feeding, clothing and educating those left 
orphans, and this was afterwards done. A fund 
of $50,000 pledged by Colonel Scott in behalf of the 
Pennsylvania Eailroad Company in 1863, to be used 
for paying bounties to volunteers, was diverted to 
benefit soldiers' orphans, a number of schools will- 
ing to take such pupils being selected in various parts 
of the State. By 1865 there were 266 orphians thus 
provided for. 

Geary and Cameron.— In 1866 John W. Geary, a 
soldier who had served in the Mexican and Civil 
wars, winning distinction in both, and had been gov- 
ernor of Kansas in its times of trouble before the 
war, was elected by the Eepublican party to succeed 
the famous ^'war governor." Like Curtin, he 
served two terms acceptably, though over a State 
now in a condition of peace and quiet prosperity. 

In State politics a dominating personality mean- 
while had appeared, the first of those * Apolitical 

18 



274 PENNSYLVANIA IN THE CIVIL WAR 

bosses'' which modern times have inflicted upon 
the State. This was Simon Cameron, a native of 
Lancaster County, who became rich through busi- 
ness and dominant through political skill and ac- 
tivity. Elected as a Democrat to the United States 
Senate in 1845, he joined the Republican party on 
its formation and was re-elected to the Senate in 
1856. He was a prominent candidate for the Presi- 
dency in 1860, was appointed Secretary of War by 

Lincoln in 1861, resigned in 
1862, and for a short time 
was Minister to Russia. He 
was again elected Senator 
in 1866 and served ten years, 
resigning then with the un- 
derstanding that his son, J. 
Donald Cameron, should suc- 
ceed him. 

Political Control. — Cameron 
was very skilful in influenc- 
joHN wIZ^ Geary iug mcu iu his favor and man- 
GovERNOR 1867-1873. aglug the machinery of party 
politics, and used his power freely for the benefit 
of himself and his supporters. During his life the 
Republican party acknowledged his mastership, and 
all the honors he desired for himself or friends were 
at his command. His son, who succeeded him in 
the Senate and remained there for twenty years, 
was not his father's equal as a manager but retained 
much of his power and influence, and the Cameron 
clan remained in power for thirty years. 




QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 275 

PART VIII 
QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 

1. How did the Civil War affect Pennsylvania? What action 
was taken in Philadelphia and in Pittsburgh? Who was the 
"War Governor" of Pennsylvania? Describe President Lincoln's 
journey to Washington. How did the State respond to Lincoln's 
call for troops ? Who were the " First Defenders " ? Where was 
Camp Curtin? 

2. What special corps of troops and what generals did Penn- 
sylvania furnish? How were the soldiers from the north enter- 
tained in Philadelphia? Describe Stuart's raid on Chambersbiirg. 
What was its result? 

3. Where was fought the decisive battle of the war? Wliat 
had General Lee to hope for in invading Pennsylvania? When did 
Lee's army reach the State; and what towns were occupied? De- 
scribe the first day's battle at Gettysburg. What was the 
position of the two armies on the second of July? What were the 
principal events of that day? What famous charge led to Lee's 
defeat? When and by whom was the Gettysburg Cemetery dedi- 
cated? What is the present condition of the battlefield? 

4. When did the third invasion of Pennsylvania take place? 
What town was burned by the invaders? How were the losers 
repaid? How many soldiers did the State contribute to the war? 
What was done for the orphans of soldiers? Who became the po- 
litical leader in Pennsylvania after the war? 



PART IX. 
RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE. 



1. AN ERA OF L.1B0R TROUBLES. 

Legislative Corruption. — Political evils wliicli had 
long been developing- in the State gave much con- 
cern to honest citizens. Much of what was called 
special legislation was enacted, in part for useful 
purposes, but a large share of it the result of legis- 
lative corruption. In consequence there had arisen 
a wide-spread belief that the Legislature was a cor- 
rupt body. One of the Secretaries of the Common- 
wealth openly asserted that ^'It is notorious that the 
legislators are bought and sold in the unseemly and 
disgraceful scramble which occurs at Harrisburg in 
the annual election for State Treasurer." 

A New Constitution Demanded. — Was there a cure 
for this evil? Could it be the result of weakness in 
the organic law of the State f Many reformers 
thought so and there was a general demand for a new 
Constitution, with jorovisions to check these public 
delinquencies. This question was submitted by the 
Legislature to the people in June, 1871, and a vote 
taken. The result was a majority of tive to one 
in favor of calling a convention to draft a Constitu- 
tion. The delegates were elected and the convention 
met at Harrisburg in November, 1872, adjourning to 
Philadelphia to complete its work. The new-formed 
Constitution was ratified by a vote of the people in 

276 



AN ERA OF LABOR TROUBLES 277 

December, 1873, and it went into effect on the fol- 
lowing New Year's day. 

The New Constitution. — The delegates had been 
men of honor and ability and the work they did 
was of much excellence. Thus the office of State 
Treasurer was made elective by the people to get 
rid of the scandal of appointment by the Legislature. 
The number of Senators and Eepresentatives was in- 
creased to render bribery more difficult and the ses- 
sions were changed from annual to biennial. As for 
special legislation, it was strictly prohibited, and 
the Legislature was surrounded by a wall of prohibi- 
tion, severe penalties being laid on bribery and other 
delinquencies. The date of State elections was 
changed to conform to that of the national elections 
and a system of ballots devised which it was hoped 
would prevent cheating. It cannot be said that this 
hope has been realized. Various other changes were 
made with the purpose of guarding the rights of the 
people, and the Constitution has since stood in the 
way of many a hurtful scheme, though it has not 
greatly purified political methods. 

Governor Hartranft. — The last governor under the 
old Constitution was John F. Hartranft, elected in 
1872, for a three years' term, and re-elected in 1875. 
The new Constitution increased the term of the 
governor to four years. Hartranft, like Geary, had 
been a soldier in the Civil War, and proved an able 
executive. The debt of the State had fallen consider- 
ably and he advised a reduction in taxation. To this 
the Legislature agreed. Taxes were taken off cattle 
and farming implements and the receipts of rail- 



278 RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 

roads and corporations, tlie annual reduction being 
over a million dollars. 

The Panic of 1873. — But the new governor liad not 
been long in office before a great financial revulsion 
fell upon the Commonwealth, as well as the whole 
United States, one that affected State and people 
alike. This was what became known as *^The Panic 
of 1873.'' In SeiDtember of that year the banking 
house of Jay Cooke & Co., of Philadelphia, failed. 
This house was one of great importance, which had 
helped the government during 
the Civil War, and its failure had 
a wide-spread effect. The actual 
cause of the trouble, whether 
speculation, overproduction, or 
what not, no one could safely say, 
but its effects were seriously felt 
and ^\e or six years passed be- 
fore the skies of business grew 
bright again. 

John Frederick Hartranft A ScaSOn o£ Strikes. The llCriod 

Governor 1873-1879. ^' . 

was one not only of hard times, 
but also of severe labor troubles. There were many 
strikes against wage reductions and the strikers 
often broke into violence. In a railroad strike at 
Susquehanna in 1874 troops had to be sent to quell 
the disorder. There were also strikes in the coal 
mining regions, one in 1875 which became known 
as the ^^long strike,'' the miners holding out for six 
months and then having to surrender. 

The worst of this series of strikes and disorders 
was a great railroad strike which broke out in 1877 




AN ERA OF LABOR TROUBLES 279 

and extended widely tlirongliont the country, though 
its worst effects were in Pennsylvania. There were 
troubles in all parts of the State — at Scranton, 
Wilkes-Barre, Reading, where the railroad bridge 
was burned and there was fighting with the militia, 
and Pittsburgh, the chief centre of disturbance. 

In that city the strikers attacked the railroad 
yards, where strike-breakers were at work, and set 
on fire long trains of laden freight cars, a very large 
number of which were destroyed. They also burned 
many railroad buildings, and tore up miles of track. 
The sheriff was powerless against the raging rioters, 
and the governor was obliged to call out the National 
Guard. When these State soldiers proved unable to 
quell the riot, United States soldiers were sent to 
the scene. Their presence stopped the disturbance, 
but in the affray a number on both sides had been 
killed, while the loss in property was very great. 

The Railroads and the Coal Mines.^ — At the date of 
the events above mentioned, the railroads of Penn- 
sylvania were fast growing rich and powerful, doing 
much of the business which the canals had formerly 
done. The Philadelphia and Reading Railway, which 
ran to the anthracite coal region, did a large business 
in the hauling of coal. The coal mines were then 
chiefly held l^y private owners, but the railroad com- 
pany now began to buy them, though this was against 
the law wliich forbade any railroads to own and 
operate mines. This purchase of coal lands cost a 
great deal of money and the company fell into seri- 
ous financial difficulties in consequence. Since then, 
however, its mines have brought it great wealth, and 



280 RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 

the other railroads which run to the anthracite coal 
region have followed its example, so that few mines 
belong to private owners. Thus the railroads now 
have a monopoly of the mining and transportation of 
coal, and people have to pay much more for coal 
than in the days of active competition. 

The Centennial Exposition. — The most interesting 
and important event of the period was the Centennial 
Exposition, held at Philadelphia in 1876, in celebra- 





Memorial Hall, Centennial Exhibition, Philai i 

tion of the Declaration of Independence made in that 
city a century before. It was the first of the great 
World's Fairs that have been held in America, and 
for that reason attracted the most interest. A beau- 
tiful section of Fairmount Park was set aside for the 
enterprise and a number of great buildings erected, 
including an enormous Main Exhibition Building, a 
Memorial Hall devoted to art, a Machinery Hall, 
Agricultural Hall, Horticultural Hall, and a great 



AN ERA OF LABOR TROUBLES 



281 



number of smaller buildings, some built by the 
States, others by foreign countries. 

These buildings were packed full of objects of art 
and industry from all parts of the world and hosts 
of people visited the exhibition, the greatest number 
on the 4tli of July, — Independence Day, — ^wlien the 
buildings and grounds were packed by an enormous 
throng. Of this great Fair it must suffice here to say 
that it was a useful lesson to all the people who 
visited it, foreign and American alike. Among the 
former, the great advance of our 
people in invention and industry 
awakened admiration. Among 
the latter the splendid display 
of European art objects had a 
similar effect. The people of 
this country found themselves 
seriously deficient in art culture 
as compared with Europe, and 
since then have done much to 
overcome this defect. At that 
date the great development of 
the electric light was in its infancy and the most 
significant novelty of the exhibition was the tele- 
phone, then recently invented and first shown in the 
exhibition hall. 

Governor Hoyt Elected. — There is little more to say 
concerning the decade under review. In 1878 the 
Eepublican candidate for Governor, Henry Martin 
Hoyt, was elected to serve for the four years' 
term prescribed in the new Constitution. In his final 
message to the Legislature Governor Ilartranft ad- 




Henry Martin Hoyt 
Governor 1879-1883. 



283 RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 

vocated arbitration and conciliation as better 
methods of ending the labor troubles than the policy 
of armed repression which had i)revailed. 

An interesting event of the decade was the reor- 
ganization of the National Guard — the State Militia 
— which was formed into a division including three 
brigades, three batteries of artillery, the battalion of 
State Fencibles and two independent companies, the 
whole including 8220 officers and men. 

On July 4, 1874, was laid at Philadelphia the 
corner-stone of a new City Hall, which was to occupy 
Centre Square, one of the open spaces set aside by 
William Penn, at the intersection of Market and 
Bro9.d Streets. As since completed it is the largest 
public building in America, containing some five 
hundred rooms and with a floor space of fourteen 
and a half acres. It was erected at a cost of consider- 
ably over $20,000,000, and for the time was the high- 
est building in the world, rising 573 feet to the top 
of its crowning statue of William Penn. 

2. THE DECADE FROM 1880 TO 1890. 
A Bi-Centennial Occasion. — An interesting feature 
of the decade which we have now reached, that of 
1880-90, was a series of important Centennial cele- 
brations, following that of 1876. The first of these 
came in 1882, in honor of the bi-centennial of the 
arrival of William Penn. In 1881 the Pennsylvania 
Legislature had endeavored to have the remains of 
the great founder of the province removed from 
their resting place at Jordan's meeting house, Buck- 
inghamshire, England, and interred with appro- 



THE DECADE FROM 1880 TO 1890 283 

priate ceremonies in the soil of the State which bears 
his name. To this the surviving members of the 
Penn family objected and the removal failed to take 
place. 

Penn's Landing Celebrated. — But the anniversary 
of Penn's arrival in the good ship Welcome was at 
hand and the celebration of this could not be set 
aside. The series of memorial events began at Ches- 
ter, where Penn had first set foot on the soil of his 
province on October 23, 1682. At the foot of Penn 
Street, in that city, a number of persons dressed to 
represent William Penn and his colonists landed. 
Here they were received by a number of others, 
representing Lieutenant Markham and a group of 
Quakers, Swedes, and Indians of the time, dressed in 
suitable costumes. 

*^ Landing day^' ceremonies in Philadelphia began 
the next morning, having been announced at the 
midnight hour by two hundred peals of the State 
House bell. The population of the city was doubled 
by its visitors, gathered to see the Welcome come up 
the river and witness the landing and procession. At 
9 o'clock in the morning Penn's representative and 
his suite landed at the historical point, at the foot 
of Dock Street. A grandstand had been erected 
from which Governor Hoyt greeted the pseudo 
Penn, who made a fitting address. The reply was 
delivered by an orator dressed to represent Tama- 
nund, the great Sachem of the Delaware Indians. 

A procession followed in which more than 20,000 
men took part, and which took four and a half hours 
to pass any given point. It was unique in character, 



284 



RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 



tlie progress of tlie State during its two centuries 
being indicated. Festivities were continued for sev- 
eral days. The Welcome presented a strange con- 
trast to tlie great battleships now to be seen at the 
Philadelphia Navy Yard, one of which is shown in 
the accompanying illustration. 
The Constitutional Celebration. — A second celebra- 




Copyright 1909 By Wm. H. Rau. 

United States Battleship Kansas Entering the Navy Takd 
Dry Dock at Philadelphia. 

tion of great historical importance was that of 1887, 
on the Centennial anniversary of the adoption of the 
Constitution of the United States. Philadelphia had 
been the place of meeting of the convention and that 
city was therefore the appropriate place of its cele- 
bration, the great event being commemorated by a 
series of grand processions, lasting for three days, 
and among the most imposing ever seen on American 



THE DECADE FROM 1880 TO 1890 



285 



soil. The civil and military significance of tlie event 
were brilliantly indicated, the first by a grand indus- 
trial procession, the second by a magnificent military 
parade, while other features of the great event were 
appropriately put in evidence. 

Electrical Exhibition. — It is well to speak in pass- 
ing of an interesting International Electrical Ex- 
hibition held at Philadelphia in 1884. At that date 
the industrial use of electricity was still in its in- 
fancy, yet it did not seem so to visitors to the hall, 
a large number of electrical discoveries and inven- 
tions being on view. The prog- 
ress of electricity up to that date 
was brilliantly shown. 

A Democratic Victory. — Penn- 
sylvania, long a Democratic 
had become a field 
for the Republicans 
years preceding the 
In 1882 there was a 
against Republican 
by the election 
for governor of the Democratic 
candidate, Robert E. Pattison. 
dissatisfied by the status of political affairs, and 
as Governor Hoyt said, were "determined upon a 
change.'' In imitation of President Jefferson, Gov- 
ernor Pattison declined to ride in a carriage from 
the railroad station at the time of his inauguration, 
walking in democratic fashion through the streets. 

Pie advocated economy in public affairs but did not 
succeed in getting much legislation in favor of his 
views, though he called an extra session of the Legis- 



stronghold 
of victory 
since the 
Civil War. 
revulsion 



rule, indicated 




Robert E. Pattison 
Governor 18S3-1SS7. 

The people were 



2S6 RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 

lature for tlie purpose. That body was too greatly 
divided politically for much to be done. The extra 
session was an expensive one and the people objected 
to its cost. This led in 1885 to a change in the law 
for paying the legislators. They had been paid so 
much per day, but were thereafter to receive fixed 
amounts — $1500 for the regular and $500 for an 
extra session, no matter how long these might be. 

Temperance Legislation. — One of the questions that 
now became prominent was that of the prevention 
or regulation of the drinking habit. In 1884 there 
were 7000 licensed drinking places in Philadelphia 
alone and a proportionate number elsewhere. The 
ease of opening a saloon and selling strong drink to 
everybody had long been too great and from all parts 
of the State came a demand for high license and 
proper police control of drinking places. In 1887 a 
high-license bill was passed, fixing a license charge 
for the privilege of liquor selling at $500 dollars in 
the larger cities, $300 in the smaller, and less sums 
in boroughs and townships. 

An amendment to the Constitution was at the same 
time proposed, its purpose being to prohibit the 
manufacture and sale of intoxicating beverages. A 
measure of this kind had at an earlier date been 
defeated, and the present one suffered the same fate. 
Voted upon by the people, on June 18, 1889, the 
amendment failed, the vote in its favor being 296,617 ; 
that against it 484,644. At a later date the high- 
license law was amended, the annual fee being made 
$1000 in cities of the first class, with an adequate 
reduction in smaller i^laces. 



THE DECADE FROM 1880 TO 1890 



287 



Election of 1 886.— The election in 1886 led to a 
return of the Eepublicans to power, James A. 
Beaver, the Eepublican candidate, defeating Chaun- 
cey F. Black, the Democratic. But the Legislature of 
1887 did the work which the extra session of 1883, 
called by Pattison, had failed to do. This was to 
divide the State into Senatorial and Representative 
districts, as required by the new Constitution. It 
also increased the State appropriation for public 
schools from $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 and passed laws 
reforming various evils in in- 
dustrial and other directions. 

The Blizzard of i888.— On 
March 11, 1888, began a snow 
storm of phenomenal dimensions 
in the eastern part of the State, 
since that date spoken of as the 
' ' Great Blizzard of 1888. ' ' High 
winds accompanied the snow, 
continuing through most of a 
week and cutting off travel in all 
directions by railroad and high- 
way. Philadelphia was for several days almost cut 
off from communication with the rest of the world, 
and its people still vividly remember the occasion. 

The Johnstown Flood. — ^AYhile the blizzard only 
caused inconvenience, a disastrous event of the fol- 
lowing year led to death and destruction. This was 
the celebrated Johnstown flood. At the end of May, 
1889, floods of unprecedented height swelled the 
streams on the eastern slopes of the Alleghanies, the 
West Branch of the Susquehanna, the Juniata, and 




James Adams Beaver 
GovEENOR 1887-1891. 



288 



RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 



tlie Conemangli increasing enormously in volume. 
While it brought only inconvenience to most places, 
it brought ruin and desolation to Johnstown, a manu- 
facturing city on the Conemaugh. On the South 
Fork of this stream, ten miles above Johnstown, 
was a dam that created a large reservoir. On May 
31 the swelling waters began to flow over the top of 
this dam, which gradually yielded and finally gave 

way, releasing the 
waters of the reser- 
voir and the river. 

Down the channel 
of the swollen stream 
the waters poured in 
a vast volume, laden 
with trees, buildings 
and wreckage o f 
every description, 
and rushing upon 
Johnstown and a 
dozen of smaller 
l^laces along the con- 
tracted valley in devastating fury. John Baker, a 
resident near the dam, rode at top speed down the 
valley, warning the people and saving many lives. 
But the waters were speedier than his steed and 
Johnstown was struck by the deluge almost without 
warning. The fated town went down in utter ruin, 
more than 2200 of its inhabitants perishing in the 
flood. 

Tidings of the disaster swept at lightning speed 
throughout the State and the people came nobly to 




Main Street, Johnstown Aftee the Flood, 
THAT Devastated that City. 



THE CLOSING DECADE OF THE CENTURY 289 

the aid of the survivors. A relief commission was 
appointed by Governor Beaver to distribute a fund 
of more than a million dollars, and from all direc- 
tions supplies were hurried to the stricken town. On 
every side the people rose in sympathy to the aid of 
the afflicted, and there has never been a finer exam- 
ple of public and private charity than this great 
catastrophe called forth. 

Other Events. — Of political events of the period 
under discussion may be mentioned the Committee 
of One Hundred, formed in Philadelphia in 1880 to 
promote honest politics, and disbanded with little 
show of results in 1886. In 1887 a new charter, 
known as the Bullitt Bill, went into operation in 
Philadelphia. Its chief purpose was to concentrate 
the city government and give increased power to the 
mayor. 

A new head of the ^ Apolitical machine,'^ an able 
successor of the Camerons, meanwhile came into 
130wer in the State. This was Matthew Stanley 
Quay, elected United States Senator in 1887, and 
from that time until his death holding autocratic 
control of the Kepublican party in the State. Of the 
various political ^^ bosses'^ that have arisen he be- 
came the most famous for ability and unscrupulous 
use of power. 

3. THE CLOSING DECADE OF THE CENTURY. 

Pattison Re~Elected. — Under the Pennsylvania 

Constitution of 1873 no governor can hold the office 

for two successive terms. There must be a change 

of governor every four years. But there is no bin- 

19 



290 RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 

drance to tlie election of a former governor who has 
been out of office for a full term. This fact per- 
mitted Robert E. Pattison, who had held the office 
from 1883 to 1887, to become a candidate again in 
the election of 1900. He was re-elected and for the 
second time since the period preceding the Civil 
War a Democrat filled the gubernatorial chair. 

Ballot Reform- — One of the most important pieces 
of legislation in the new term was the passage of a 
Ballot Reform Act by the Legislature of 1891, intro- 
ducing what is known as the Australian system. 
Under the older system of voting the secrecy of the 
ballot was not properly preserved, the voter was 
exposed to fraudulent influences, and a demand for 
a purer system of suffrage became general in the 
United States. In response, the Australian system, 
or some modification of it, has been introduced into 
all but two or three of the States. Under it freedom 
and secrecy in voting are secured, and while fraud 
still exists, it is by no means so easy in its applica- 
tion as of old. 

Labor Troubles. — ^In 1891 and 1892 serious labor 
troubles prevailed in parts of the State. At Moose- 
wood, in Westmoreland County, a strike outbreak 
took place in April, 1891, in which seven persons 
were killed and twenty-one wounded and which 
needed the use of the National Guard of the State 
to overcome. 

In July, 1892, broke out one of the worst strike 
riots the country has known. It was due to an 
attempt of the Carnegie Steel Company to reduce 
the wages of some of the workmen in its plant at 



THE CLOSING DECADE OF THE CENTURY 291 

Homestead, near Pittsbiirgli, where four thousand 
men were employed. Those who refused to work for 
the reduced wages were locked out of the works, 
and riots broke out which gave the strikers nearly 
complete control of the establishment. 

To protect its property the company brought a 
force of Pinkerton detectives from Chicago, who 
were taken in barges from Pittsburgh and were 
attacked by armed strikers as they attempted to 
land. For the time the scene was like a battle. 
Bullets flew like hail, the detectives were driven back, 
and in the melee about a dozen of the combatants 
were killed and a large number wounded. It be- 
came necessary to call out the National Gruard or 
State militia, who were obliged to take military con- 
trol of Homestead and to remain there for two weeks 
before order was restored. To prevent future 
troubles of this kind the need of a board of arbi- 
tration was much debated, but the Legislature failed 
to act upon this question. 

Coal Miners' Strike. — In the summer of 1897 the 
coal miners of Pennsylvania again struck, the trouble 
lasting from July 4 to September 11 in the bitumi- 
nous fields of the west. The area of this strike ex- 
tended over the mining region as far as Illinois. It 
was a peaceful strike, but a warlike one broke out 
in the anthracite region in early September. 

The miners demanded higher wages and tried to 
stop the collieries from working. On September 10 
the sheriff of Luzerne County, with about one hun- 
dred deputies, met a body of strikers, mostly Hun- 
garians. Poles, and Slavs. They were marching 



292 RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 

towards a colliery with warlike intentions, and when 
he ordered them to disperse, they refused to do so. 
Some of the miners tried to force their way onward 
past the deputies and the latter opened fire upon 
them, about twenty of the miners being killed and 
fifty wounded. Three thousand of the National 
Guard had to be sent to restore order. The sheriff 

and his deputies 
i llilflg^HMflllA ' were tried for 

murder, but were 
acquitted on the 
ground that they 
had done no more 
than the law per- 
mitted in such an 
emergency. 

World's Fair Dis- 
play.. — In the 
World's Colum- 
bian Exposition 
at Chicago in 1893 
Pennsylvania was 
adequately repre- 
sented, the State 
building, in which 
the State House tower at Philadelphia was repro- 
duced, containing examples of all that makes Penn- 
sylvania notable in industry, art, and education. An 
interesting feature of its display was the old Liberty 
Bell, guarded by a platoon of stalwart Philadelphia 
policemen, and drawing more visitors than almost 
any other object in the exposition. 




LiBi-Krv J'l II, \ r 1\[>\ iM. sDi'.NCE Hall, 
Philadelphia. 



THE CLOSING DECADE OF THE CENTURY 293 

During recent years this famous old bell, the most 
venerated historical relic in Pennsylvania or the 
United States, has been sent to various expositions, 
including those at New Orleans, Atlanta, Charles- 
ton, Chicago and St. Louis, that the people in all 
quarters of the country might gaze upon the noble 
bell that rang in liberty. There are many who object 
to its being sent out again from its resting i^lace in 
Independence Hall, for fear of some injury to 
America's choicest relic of the past. 

Independence Hall Restored. — The old State House, 
the cradle of liberty and the resting place of the 
Liberty Bell, had suffered many changes in its more 
than a century of use and abuse, and the anniversary 
occasions mentioned led to a desire to restore this 
fine historic building to its condition in Eevolution- 
ary times. This work was completed by 1900, the 
later buildings being removed, the historic rooms 
brought back to their old condition, and much of their 
old furniture restored. There is not in the country 
to-day a more attractive example of colonial archi- 
tecture than this noble old hall. 

Executive Building. — Harrisburg was supplied in 
the same year with a handsome building for the use 
of the Executive Department and the State Library, 
this being made fireproof to preserve the valuable 
records and books stored within it. The library 
contains over 100,000 volumes and is one of the most 
valuable of the State libraries of the country. 

Elections of 1894 and 1898.— There were several 
candidates in the election for governor in 1894, but 
Daniel H. Hastings, the Eepublican candidate, won 




294: RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 

by a very large majority. The era of Democratic 
control was for the time at an end, the Republican 
party being largely in excess in the State. In 1898 
this party was again successful, 
electing William A. Stone. 

Legislative Action. — The ses- 
sion of the Legislature which 
met under Hastings in 1895 
added greatly to the width of the 
public service, creating a num- 
ber of new offices and executive 
departments. Important among 
these was the Agricultural De- 
Daniel hartman Hastings partrnent, cmbraciuo: also the 

Governor 1895-1899. \ . -, n ^ i • i i • 

dairy and food supply industries 
and the divisions of horticulture and forestry. A 
Banking Department was also created, having to do 
with the financial laws of the 
State. A new court was estab- 
lished, the Superior Court, to 
reduce the work of the Supreme 
Court. 

Burning of the Capitol. — The 
administration of Governor 
Hastings was marked by a seri- 
ous disaster, the burning of the 
State Capitol. This building, 
the corner-stone of which was william a. stone 

Governor 1899-1903. 

laid May 31, 1819, took fire at 
midday of February 2, 1897, and was rapidly re- 
duced to ashes, many books and records of great 
value being destroyed, though the most valuable were 
saved. 




THE CLOSING DECADE OF THE CENTURY 



295 



A strong effort was made to cliange the location 
of the State capital to Philadelphia, but it was finally 
decided to retain Harrisburg as the cp^pital and erect 
a new State-House on the site of the former one. 
The corner-stone of this was laid August 10, 1898, 
and by the 3rd of January following it was suffi- 
ciently advanced for the Legislature to occupy it. 




fciENAxa Chamber of Capitol, Harkisbukg. 

As now completed it is one of the handsomest legis- 
lative buildings in the States. 

Washington Monument. — In 1897 was completed at 
Philadeli)hia one of the noblest of American monu- 
ments, a grand equestrian statue of General Wash- 
ington, erected at tlie main entrance to Fairmount 
Park. The funds were supplied chiefly by the 
Society of the Cincinnati, and as the completed work 
stands it is one of the finest and most artistic ex- 



296 RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 

amples of ornate statuary anywliere to be seen. Its 
dedication was made the occasion of a grand mili- 
tary procession, in which. President McKinley took a 
prominent part. 

The Commercial Museums. — Another important 
event of 1897 was the opening of the Commercial 
Museums, a collection at Philadelphia of the indus- 
trial products of all parts of the world. The nucleus 
of this great collection was obtained from the Chi- 
cago Exposition, but it has since been added to by 
contributions from other exhibitions and collections 
from many quarters, making it of unequalled value. 
Intended for the benefit of commerce, it is the first 
of its kind in the world and has proved of the utmost 
advantage to the merchants of Philadelphia. There 
is. hardly a commercial question that can arise which 
cannot be answered by the officials of this institu- 
tion and illustrated from its docmnents and stores. 

At first housed in the old Pennsylvania Eailroad 
offices on Fourth Street, several large buildings were 
erected for it in 1899 on the west bank of the Schuyl- 
kill. These* were utilized during the autumn of that 
year for a National Export Exposition, visited by 
more than a million people and offering an impos- 
ing display of American manufactured products. 
In the following year its great auditorium was util- 
ized for the Eepublican National Convention, in 
which William McKinley and Tlieodore Roosevelt 
were nominated for President and Vice-President. 
It was the first convention of its kind that had been 
held in the East for many years. 

Pennsylvanians in the Spanish War. — ^In the war 



PENNSYLVANIA IN TWENTIETH CENTURY 297 

with Spain, in 1898, the President called for 125,000 
volunteers, of whom 10,762 were assigned to Penn- 
sylvania. The National Guard, 9,222 men in num- 
ber, was called out and sworn into the service of 
the govermnent for two years, if needed for that 
length of time. In another call for 75,000 troops, 
Pennsylvania's assignment was 6,462. Of these re- 
cruits the Tenth Eegiment of the National Guard 
was sent to Manila and served for a year in the 
Philippines; the Fourth and Sixteenth, with the 
cavalry and artillery, took part in the bloodless 
campaign in Porto Eico. The remainder were not 
employed otherwise than in camp duties. 

4. PENNSYLVANIA IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. 

The United States Mint. — Philadelphia was the 
original home of the United States Mint, which for 
many years was located on Chestnut Street between 
Broad and Thirteenth. In 1901 a new building for 
the Mint was opened on Spring Garden Street, occu- 
pying the whole square between Sixteenth and 
Seventeenth Streets and constituting one bf the 
best equipped and largest buildings devoted to this 
purpose in the world. In its vaults is stored a vast 
wealth in gold and silver coin. 

The State Capitol—The new State Capitol, already 
mentioned as housing the Legislature in 1899, was 
completed in 1906 with the exception of its final 
art adornments. These, consisting of a series of 
magnificent mural paintings illustrating the history 
of the State, and a splendid display of works of 
sculpture of the highest type of art, ornamenting 



298 RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 

its entrance, place this building among the finest 
exami3les of architecture and decoration in the 
country. 

Unfortunately it was not completed without a 
serious scandal arising, not connected with its erec- 
tion, but with its furnishing. The building itself 
cost $4,000,000, but on its furniture and general 
equipment about $9,000,000 were expended, a lavish 
waste of the public funds which when known sent a 
wave of indignation throughout the State. 

A legislative committee was appointed to investi- 
gate this wholesale overcharge, and it found evi- 
dences of such flagrant fraud and barefaced robbery 
in all parts of the building that the i3ublic indigna- 
tion grew almost into fury. Punishment of the par- 
ties concerned was loudly demanded, but the tra- 
ditional sluggishness of the law intervened to such 
an extent that several of the delinquents died before 
they could be convicted. The State recovered a 
portion of its money, three of the men who took 
part in the fraud were imprisoned for brief terms, 
and the affair passed out of sight, though not out of 
mind. 

Coal Miners Strike.— In 1902 took place the most 
serious strike of coal miners the country has Imown, 
nearly 150,000 of the anthracite miners of the State 
going on a strike that lasted six months and pro- 
duced a scarcity of coal that caused much distress 
during the following winter. The price of coal rose 
higher than ever known before. It was finally set- 
tled through the influence of President Eoosevelt, 
who brought about a successful arbitration. 



PENNSYLVANIA IN TWENTIETH CENTURY 299 

A Period of Reform. — Samuel W. Pennypacker, a 
former judge in the Philadelphia courts, was elected 
governor in 1902 and in the latter part of his admin- 
istration the Legislature became infected with the 
spirit of reform. Matthew S. Quay, the autocrat of 
the ^ Apolitical machine," died in 1904, and the sys- 
tem of * A boss rule" established by him went to 
l)ieces. His successors tried to control the elections 
and the Legislature, after his example, but the people 
rose in revolt against them, and in the November 
election of 1905 the reform ele- 
ment won an important victory 
at the polls. 

The feeling against the old sys- 
tem was so strong and the de- 
mand for honesty in public 
affairs so decided, that Governor 
Pennypacker called an extra 
session of the Legislature to 
meet in January, 1906, to deal 
with the critical situation. The samuel wTIp^tpacker. 
law-makers were swept onward govehnor 1903-1907. 
by the tide of public opinion and passed a number 
of important bills, chiefly designed to promote 
honesty in elections. All voters were to be regis- 
tered and a statement of their age and personal 
appearance to be put on record, so as to prevent 
their names being voted on fraudulently. Candidates 
were to be chosen by a popular vote at the primary 
elections, instead of being selected by the political 
leaders as formerly. Office-holders were forbidden, 
under penalty, to influence voters. The Civil Service 




300 RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 

system was adopted for cities of tlie first class. 
These and other laws tending to prevent illegal 
voting and the reward of political workers by ap- 
pointment to office were received with popular ap- 
plause. That they did away with all the evils 
complained of cannot be said, for the laws have not 
been strictly observed, but they rendered election 
frauds more difficult and dangerous. 

Reform in Philadelphia. — This reform in State 
politics had its origin in Philadelphia, where corrup- 
tion in awarding contracts for public works and 
granting privileges to the undeserving had grown 
so flagrant that the city of Penn was looked on by 
many as the worst governed city in the world. Ee- 
form seemed hopeless, but a sudden change took 
place in 1905, when John Weaver, who had been 
mayor for two years, suddenly became an ardent 
reformer and refused to sanction a corrupt deal 
with the company leasing the gas works. The peo- 
ple in great majority sustained him and in a few 
weeks' time the political *^ machine" had lost all 
its power. In 1906 a notable victory was won for 
reform ; but the energy of the people soon vanished 
and in the spring election of 1907 the party formerly 
in control regained its supremacy. 

The Pennsylvania Mounted Police. — An important 
event of Governor Pennypacker's administration 
was the formation of the Pennsylvania Mounted 
Police, or '^ State Constabulary," as they are often 
called. This highly efficient body of men, organized 
in 1905 at the suggestion of the governor, have no 
counterpart in the United States. While only 228 



PENNSYLVANIA IN TWENTIETH CENTURY 30 1 

in number, officers and men, nearly the whole of 
them have served in the army, and their ability has 
been proved in nmiierous cases of riot and disorder. 
One of the latest of these was in the anthracite coal 
miners' strike of 1912, in which a troop of these po- 
lice preserved order better than a regiment of the 
National Guard had done in earlier disturbances. 
This able body of peace-makers are growing fa- 
mous and have become a terror to evil-doers. 

Governor Stuart. — In 1906 Edwin S. Stuart was 
elected governor by the Republi- 
can party. He had at a former 
time been mayor of Philadelphia 
and had established a record for 
honor and upright dealing, 
though not for vigorous initia- 
tive in public affairs. His record 
as mayor led to his choice as 
candidate for the governorship 
and his election to that office. 
As governor he showed unex- edwin s. stuart 
pected energy, worked actively Governor 1907-1911. 
for the benefit of the State, and won the applause 
of all advocates of good government. 

Mayor Reyburn. — In 1907 John E. Eeyburn was 
elected mayor of Philadelphia. He was the candi- 
date of the political *^ organization," and under his 
rule the dragon of corruption lifted its head again. 
But the new mayor worked with the greatest energy 
for the artistic advancement of the city^ and devel- 
oped a ** comprehensive plan" for its adornment 
which included diagonal streets, subways for travel^ 




302 



RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 



boulevards, parks bordering the suburban creeks, 
the building of a grand Parkway from City Hall 
to the entrance of Fairmount Park, the improve- 
ment of the wharves and shipping facilities, and the 
general advancement and adornment of the city. 

All this was in line with a system of ^^city plan- 
ning'' which was then in progress all over the 
United States, its purpose being to beautify the 



^CT. 




- iii^iiiiiiiiii III ^^mKiitm 



Copjright 1912 by ^^'lll. II. Rau. 

A View of Philadelphia Looking North from the City Hall. 

cities and render them pleasant places to live in. 
An exhibition showing what was being done in this 
direction in the various cities was given in the 
Philadelphia City Hall in 1911, and did much to in- 
spire the citizens towards the improvement and 
artistic development of their own city. 

The Disaster at Austin.~On September 30, 1911, 
a disaster took place at the little town of Austin, 
in Potter County, that repeated on a small scale the 



PENNSYLVANIA IN TWENTIETH CENTURY 303 

disaster at Johnstown in 1889. This place was built 
in a narrow valley with high ground on each side, 
A small stream ran through it and a mile or two 
up this stream a concrete dam crossed the valley, 
behind which lay a large reservoir of water. This 
was used for power by an extensive factory that 
lay below it. 

The dam was not well built and a heavy rain 
swelled the reservoir until the water began to ooze 
through cracks and crevices in and under the dam. 
Finally the dam gave way, a huge break appeared, 
and the reservoir waters poured through and raced 
down upon the quiet little town below. As at Johns- 
town, warning was given the people and there was 
a wild flight for the hills. On came the foaming 
flood, the frame buildings went down like chips be- 
fore it and were hurled into ruin, and more than a 
hundred of the people were killed by the fall of 
dwellings or drowned in their effort to escape. Those 
who had fled to the hillsides saw with sad eyes their 
homes swept away. As in all such cases, the people 
of the State came to their aid, but no help could pre- 
vent a great deal of loss and suffering. 

Graft at Pittsburgh.— We have spoken of fraud in 
Philadelphia and Harrisburg. Other cities had 
their share of political trickery and dishonesty, 
and this was especially the case with Pittsburgh, the 
second city in the State. Investigation by the 
Voters' League, a reform organization, revealed 
a remarkable degree of corruption among the city 
officials and the officers of certain banks. In 1908 
seven of the city councilmen were arrested for 



304 RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 

receiving bribes, and in 1909 the cashier and the 
former president of the German National Bank 
were found guilty of bribing councilmen and sent 
to the Penitentiary. 

In January, 1910, ^ve prominent citizens were 
arrested, charged with perjury, bribery, and other 
crimes. This was followed by the confession of 
John F. Klein, a former councilman, who had been 
convicted of giving and taking bribes and sentenced 
to the Penitentiary. His confession revealed the 
names of eighty persons, some of them bankers, 
but most of them former or present members of 
the city councils. These men had refused to con- 
tribute money for the support of his wife and two 
young children while he was in jail, and he revenged 
himself on them in this way. 

Many of these men were arrested and a large 
number of them confessed their guilt, on promise of 
being leniently dealt with. Those who confessed 
to having sold their votes were let off with light sen- 
tences, but those who were tried and convicted were 
fined and sentenced to imprisonment. Earely before 
had such a wholesale reign of fraud been discovered 
and made public in any city. 

Elections of igio-ii — In 1910 John K. Tener was 
elected Governor of Pennsylvania, as the candidate 
of the Republican party. He proved an energetic 
and satisfactory official. In the Philadelphia canvass 
for mayor in 1911 the Keystone party, the reform 
organization, nominated for mayor Rudolph Blank- 
enburg, a citizen of German birth who for many 
years had been the most energetic, persistent and 



PENNSYLVANIA IN TWENTIETH CENTURY 



305 



unyielding advocate of reform in the administration 
of city affairs. 

Though he had always been a Eepublican, he 
deprecated the handing over of city affairs to party 
management, and the Democratic party joined in 
his support. He was elected by a small majority, 
the first reform mayor who had been jnit at the head 
of city affairs for many years. Yet he found the 
task before him one almost too heavy for his 
strength. The city was laden 
with debt, bills aggregating mil- 
lions of dollars were unpaid, and 
there were many things to be 
done for which no money was 
available. Under such adverse 
conditions began the Blanken- 
burg reform administration in 
Philadelphia. It had inherited a 
load of debt, an empty treasury, 
and a score of unfinished jobs, 
but the new mayor proved active 
and capable and the discouraging state of affairs 
soon began to improve. In 1912 plans for extensive 
subway and wharf improvements were devised. 

A Glance at Penn's City. — I^et us in conclusion take 
a brief glance at the development of the great city 
on the Delaware, the *^ Quaker City," or the *^Oity 
of Brotherly Love," as it has been variously called, 
though neither name now applies. "Wlien William 
Penn landed on its site in 1682 he saw before him an 
almost unbroken forest, inhabited by a tribe of In- 
dians and a few white men who had recently landed 
20 




Copyright 1912 by Wm. H. Rau 

John K. Tener. 
Governor 1911- 



306 



RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 



on the Delaware's shores. A few Swedish settlers 
had farms on the site, and some emigrants of the 
year before had built themselves humble homes or 
excavated caves in the river bank for places of 
residence. The utmost dreams of the founder must 
have fallen short of the great change which a little 
over two centuries would bring. 




Copyright 1912 by Wm. H. Rau 

Philadelphia's City Hall and Skyscrapers from Broad and Spruce Streets. 

Could William Penn look down on his city to-day 
he would perceive a sea of buildings, of every size 
and kind, spreading over many square miles of 
territory and dwelt in by more than a million 
and a half of people. Instead of a wilderness of 
trees he would behold a wilderness of dwellings, 
a city the third in size in the United States and the 
ninth in the world, if we omit some cities of China 



PENNSYLVANIA IN TWENTIETH CENTURY 307 

wliose population is a matter of guess-work. It 
would certainly appear a miracle to its founder 
could lie again behold it. 

If lie could extend liis view to take in the whole 
State his astonishment would be as great. Instead 
of the wooded wilderness, with its few wandering 
red men, he would behold what is practically a 
nation, inhabited by a vast multitude of busy peo- 
13le, the woodlands having given way to hosts of 
fertile farms, to richly yielding mines, to villages, 
towns, and cities too numerous to mention. On 
its streams the white-sailed vessel and the smoking 
steamer would be seen to have replaced the Indian 
canoe. Broad roads, running in every direction, 
would replace the Indian trails. Vehicles of all 
kinds and long trains of laden cars, drawn by great 
engines, would replace the prunitive method of 
Indian travel. And if he sought the descendants 
of his former Quaker friends, he would perceive 
them to be lost in a multitude of people of varied 
nations and beliefs from all parts of the civilized 
world. Penn might behold all this with satisfaction, 
l3ut he certainly would with bewilderment, for he 
would be looking on one of the greatest of modern 
miracles. 

A City of Homes. — Let us look down ourselves 
on Penn's great city and see what marvels it dis- 
plays. We behold what has justly been called **a 
city of homes." Having plenty of level ground to 
spread over, the citizens of Philadelphia have not 
been obliged to crowd into a narrow space and 
ihat city is especially notable for its vast array of 



308 RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 

two-story dwellings, comfortable residences for tlie 
families that dwell in and in many cases own tliem. 
Larger dwellings inliabited by single families are 
equally numerous, and only recently lias the custom 
of living in apartments or flats been introduced. 

In the central region of the great city rises an 
array of the enormous and lofty office buildings 
and hotels which Imve become a distinctive feature 
of American cities. Of these a great group has 
gathered around and in the vicinity of the central 
City Hall. 

Historical Buildings.— If we go through the city 
in search of evidences of its former history, we will 
find many and interesting traces. Chief among these 
are the old State-House^ — now spoken of as Inde- 
pendence Hall — and CariDenter's Hall, these being 
closely identified with the story of American inde- 
pendence. Traces of still earlier days exist, chief 
among them being the William Penn House or Le- 
titia Mansion, now preserved in Fairmount Park. 

Learned institutions of early date are somewhat 
numerous and very interesting. Oldest of these are 
the Philadelphia Library, the origin of which dates 
back to the early days of Benjamin Franklin, and 
the University of Pennsylvania, an outgrowth of 
one of Franklin's luminous conceptions, and now 
ranking among America's chief centres of learning. 

Another institution due to Franklin is the Ameri- 
can Philosophical Society, which long ago won an 
international reputation. There are other learned 
institutions of later date, several of them being the 
first of their kind in this country. A prominent one 
of these is the Academy of Natural Sciences, a pic- 



PENNSYLVANIA IN TWENTIETH CENTURY 309 

neer in this field of endeavor, founded in the hum- 
blest way in 1812, and in 1912, on the occasion of its 
centennial anniversary, joresenting a noble group of 
buildings, the finest scientific library in the country, 
and a museum of natural history relics of unsur- 
passed value. 

Other such institutions are the Franklin Institute, 
dating back early in the last century, tlie oldest in- 
stitution in the country devoted to the development 
of the mechanic arts ; and the Academy of Fine Arts, 
a splendid gallery of works of art, the collections of 
a past century of endeavor. Much more might be 
said in praise of this great city, but these examples 
drawn from its earlier history must suffice. Its de- 
velopment was picturesquely shown in 1908, the 
225th anniversary of its origin being celebrated by 
a splendid street pageant in which the several stages 
of its history were represented by appropriate floats 
and groups of men dressed in the costumes of the 
successive periods. 

Growth of Pittsburgh — At the opposite extremity 
of the State, where the Alleghany and Monongahela 
rivers join to form the Ohio, stands the second city 
of the State, Pittsburgh, the ^'Iron City,'' or the 
^^ Smoky City,'' as it has been variously termed. 
Nearly a century younger than Philadelphia, it has 
grown to a third of its size and presents large prom- 
ise for the future. 

The site of Pittsburgh has a special historical 
interest. Here George Washington passed wlien 
little more than a boy, on his way to the French 
forts near Lake Erie. Near here was the scene of 



310 



RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 



Braddock's defeat and tlie seat of the events tliat 
led to the French and Indian War. From the fort 
at this place and the hamlet around it has grown 
up one of the chief industrial cities of the country. 
Splendidly situated for river commerce at the 
head of the Ohio and for industrial progress in a 
region rich in mineral wealth, Pittsburgh has be- 
come to-day the greatest centre of the iron and steel 




Pittsburgh and its Rivers. 



industry in this country, and of the glass industry 
as well. Around it spreads the richest coal district 
in the world, 14,000 square miles in area ; and in its 
vicinity the first stores of petroleum and of natural 
gas were developed in this country. Its population 
has increased from 321,616 in 1900 to 533,905 in 
1910, this being largely due to its absorption of 
Allegheny City, on the opposite side of the river, but 



PENNSYLVANIA IN TWENTIETH CENTITRY 311 

practically a part of it, and of several boroughs, 
the increase to its area being 12.6 square miles. 

The Pittsburgh of To-day.— The Pittsburgh of to- 
day, while one of the busiest centres of industry in 
the country, has grown considerably in the line of 
beauty, having acquired wide streets, splendid 
boulevards, and a system of handsome parks. In 
Schenley Park is situated Pliipps Conservatory, an 
attractive and useful botanical institution. Andrew 
Carnegie has also added richly to its institutions, 
having provided it with a fine library, a well-en- 
dowed School of Technology, and an Institute Build- 
ing, which contains a music hall, art gallery, and 
natural history museum. On the whole, Pittsburgh 
has set out well on the pathway of progress. 

Conditions in Pennsylvania. — The remaining cities 
of the State have been briefly described in a preced- 
ing chapter, and are too numerous to speak of fur- 
ther at this place. But in concluding our work some 
description of the resources and present condition 
of the State at large is in order. 

In mineral wealth it surpasses any other State in 
the ITiiion, and its coal production is practically one- 
half of the total amount mined in the United States. 
In anthracite coal it contains the only deposits of 
any important extent in the United States, and the 
only ones largely mined in the world, the annual yield 
being about 80,000,000 short tons. Petroleum, first 
found in Pennsylvania, has been developed so 
largely that the yield has greatly fallen off and is 
now much surpassed by that of several other States, 
but in natural gas its yield is still much larger than 



312 RECENT HISTORY OF THE STATE 

that of any otlier State except West Virginia. This 
is largely used as a fuel in Pittsburgh. Another 
product of importance is cement, in which it stands 
first among the States. 

Its forest products, once rich and valuable, have 
fallen off greatly, as they have in most of the States, 
by reckless cutting. Agriculturally the State of 
Pennsylvania, while containing a large mountain 
area, has also a wide extent of fertile soil and is a 
large producer, though it does not seek to compete 
with the agricultural states of the West, these being 
devoted to certain crops, and far less diversified in 
their industries. With its population in 1910 of 
7,665,111, it stands second in rank among the States, 
and would be first in rank among them if the popu- 
lation of the great city of New York was deducted 
from that of New York State. 

Of the larger cities of the State the population 
is as follows: Philadelphia, 1,549,008; Pittsburgh, 
533,905 ; Scranton, 129,867 ; Eeading, 96,071 ; Wilkes 
Barre, 67,105; Erie, 66,525; Harrisburg, 64,186; 
Johnstown, 55,482 ; Altoona, 52,127 ; Allentown, 
51,913; Lancaster, 47,227; York, 44,750; McKees- 
port, 42,694; Chester, 38,537; Newcastle, 36,280; 
Williamsport, 31,860; Easton, 28,523; Norristown, 
27,875; Shenandoah, 25,774; Butler, 20,728; Potts- 
ville, 20,236 ; South Bethlehem, 19,973 ; Shamokin, 
19,588; Lebanon, 19,240; Wilkinsburg, 18,924; 
Nanticoke, 18,877 ; Washington, 18,788 ; and Home- 
stead, 18,706. 



QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 313 

PART IX 
QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 

1. What condition of public affairs led to the Constitutional 
Convention of 1873? State the principal changes made in the 
Constitution. Describe the panic of 1873. What great railroad 
strike took place? What corporations gained control of the anthra- 
cite mines? Give an account of the Centennial Exposition. When 
was laid the corner-stone of the Philadelphia City Hall and what is 
said about this building? 

2. How was the bi-centennial of Penn's landing celebrated? 
How^ the centennial of the United States Constitution? What 
political change took place in the 1882 election? How was the 
liquor business dealt with? Describe the blizzard of 1888 and the 
Johnstown flood of 1889. Who succeeded the Camerons as political 
leader ? 

3. What is meant by the Australian ballot? Describe the 
Homestead labor riot of 1892 and the coal miners' strike of 1897. 
What display was made by Pennsylvania in the Columbian Ex- 
position of 1893? What is said about the Liberty Bell and Inde- 
pendem-ee Hall? Describe the burning of the State eapitol and 
the building of a new one. \ATiere was a great monument erected 
to Washington? What is the character of the Commercial 
Museu'ms? 

4. State how the new State eapitol is ornamented and what 
scandal arose in its furnishing. When did the greatest coal miners' 
strike take place? What was done for political reform? State 
what is being done to improve Philadelphia. Describe the disaster 
at Aiistin. What is said about gi^aft at Pittsburgh? Who was the 
first Philadelphia mayor elected by the reform party? What would 
William Penn see if he could return to his province in these days? 
What historic institutions remain? What is said of the develop- 
ment of Pittsburgh and the State in general? 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF INTERESTING EVENTS IN 
PENNSYLVANIA. 

1642. Lutheran catechism translated into the Indian language by 

Campanius. 
1646. Church built on Tinicum Island. First mention made of Upland, 

now Chester. 
1654. Treaty at Tinicum between the Swedes and the Indian chiefs. 
1657. School at New Amstel (New Castle), the first on record in the 

colony. 
166Q. Block-house built at Wicaco; used as a church in 1677. 
1679. The first English child born in Pennsylvania. 

1682. The first English child born in Philadelphia. Letitia House 

erected for William Penn; now preserved in Fairmount Park. 

1683. The first grist-mill built near Germantown. First post-office 

established in Philadelphia. First school in Philadelphia, 
taught by Enoch Flower, 

1684. Pennsbury manor-house built for William Penn. First Baptist 

societies organized in Bucks County, near Bristol, and in 
Chester County. 

1685. Court-house at Chester erected. First printing-press in Phila- 

delphia, established by William Bradford ; an almanac the first 
issue. 

1686. The first prison in Philadelphia built. First Baptist church in 

Pennsylvania, on Pennepack Creek near site of Holmesburg. 
First meeting-house in Germantown, built by German Friends. 

1688. Friends' meeting-houses built in Darby and Haverford. First 

Anti-slavery protest in America, by the Germans of German- 
town. 

1689. Germantown incorporated. Public school established in Phila- 

delphia; chartered by William Penn in 1701; still exists as the 
''William Penn Charter School." 
1692. First school established at Darby. 

1695. First Episcopal church erected in Philadelphia, on site of present 

Christ Church. Fulling-mill built in Darby. 

1696. The first paper-mill in Pennsylvania erected near Germantown. 

1700. Swedes' Church built on site of old block-house at Wicaco. John 

Penn, son of Wilham Penn, born in the ''Old Slate Roof 
House," Philadelphia. He was afterwards known as "The 
American." 

1701. Philadelphia chartered as a city. 

1704. The first Presbyterian church in the province erected at Phila- 
delphia; known as the "Old Buttonwood Church." 

1706. The first Presbytery in America organized in Philadelphia. 

1707. The old court-house, Market Street, Philadelphia, erected. 
1713. The Friends' Almshouse founded at Philadelphia; buildings 

erected 1713-29. 

315 



316 HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

1718. William Penn died at Ruscombe, England. Dunkers settled 

about Germantown and in Lancaster County. 

1719. The first newspaper outside Boston, the third in America, 

published in Philadelphia; named The American Weekly 
Mercury. 

1720. The first iron furnaces erected in Pennsylvania, on the Schuylkill 

near Pottstown. 

1721. The first insurance office opened in Philadelphia. 

1723. Benjamin Franklin arrived at Philadelphia. Paper mone}" first 
issued in the province. 

1728. Bartram's Botanic Garden, near Gray's Ferry, begun. 

1729. PubUcation of The Pennsijlvania Gazette begun hy YrarMin; the 

first successful newspaper. Second paper-mill built, in Con- 
cord Township, Delaware County. Catholic chapel built near 
Frankford, Philadelphia County. 

1730. Line of stages between Philadelphia and New York begun; 

bi-monthly; weekly in 1733. 

1731. The first Baptist church erected in Philadelphia. Inoculation 

first practised in Pennsylvania. Public library started by 
Benjamin Franklin; chartered as the Philadelphia Library 
in 1742. 

1732. The building of the State-House, Philadelphia, begun; completed 

in 1741. "Poor Richard's Almanac" first issued by Franklin. 
"Colony in Schuylkill" club organized; still exists as "State 
in Schuylkill." First German newspaper in America, Die 
Philadclphische Zeitung, published by Franklin. 

1733. The first negroes emancipated in Philadelphia. First German 

Reformed church erected at Germantown. First Roman 
Catholic chapel in Philadelphia. 

1734. Small quantities of silk produced. First Masonic lodge in 

the province organized at Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin 
master. 

1735. Benjamin Franklin appointed postmaster of Philadelphia. 

1738. Benjamin West, the first native artist of America, born in Spring- 

field, Delaware County. First fire company organized in 
Philadelphia by Franklin. 

1739. Moravian settlement begun at the Forks of the Delaware. 

1740. Lazaretto for sick immigrants established at Tinicum. First 

permanent settlement at Bethlehem. First medical book 
in America by Dr. Thomas Cadwalader, pubfished at Phila- 
delphia. 

1741. The first literary journal in the colonies. The General Magazine 

and Historical Chronicle, established by Franklin at Phila- 
delphia. 
1743. The American Philosophical Society founded in Philadelphia; 
incorporated 1780; building erected 1785. A German edition 
of the Bible issued at Germantown, the first Bible in an Euro- 
pean tongue in America. 

1745. The Franklin stoves invented by Benjamin FrankKn. 

1746. The first iron rolling and slitting mill in Pennsylvaoia. 

1747. Tlie first steel furnace erected in Philadelphia. 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE 317 

1748. The first public lottery sanctioned by the assembly. The first 

German Lutheran Synod in the colonies organized in Phila- 
delphia. 

1749. Academy established at Germantown. School for girls at Beth- 

lehem. An academy and charitable school founded by Franklin 
at Philadelphia; opened as a Latin school 1750; incorporated 
1753; chartered in 1755 as "The College, Academy, and 
Charitable School of Philadelphia;" became the University of 
Pennsylvania in 1779. 

1750. In this year 5300 immigrants came to Pennsylvania; Philadelphia 

had more than 2000 houses; about 4500 in 1768; reached Boston 
in population about 1750; soon after was far ahead. 

1751. The Pennsylvania Hospital founded at Philadelphia; building 

erected 1755 to 1804. Loganian Library founded. A German 
and English newspaper published in Lancaster. 

1752. Cannon stoves first used. Mutual assurance company founded. 

Franklin discovered that lightning is due to electricity; light- 
ning rod set up at S. E. corner of Second and Race streets, 
Philadelphia. The State-House bell imported from England; 
recast in Philadelphia 1753. First fire-insurance company in 
the colonies founded at Philadelphia. 

1753. Benjamin Franklin made deputy postmaster-general for the 

British colonies. The daily delivery of letters by carrier 
began in Philadelphia. Two attempts were made to find the 
Northwest passage by a vessel sent from Philadelphia. 

1755. Free school started by subscription at Easton. 

1756. Line of stages and wagons established between Philadelphia and 

Baltimore. 

1757. First weekly post from Philadelphia to Carlisle. 
1759. First theatre built in Philadelphia. 

1762. First lectures on anatomy in Philadelphia, by Dr. William 

Shippen. 

1763. Mason and Dixon began to run the boundary line between 

Pennsylvania and Maryland. 

1764. Grand Lodge of Masons organized in Philadelphia. Medical 

school founded, the oldest in the United States, now the medical 
department of the University of Pennsylvania. 
1766. Stage-coaches made the journey between Philadelphia and New 
York in two days; were called ''flying machines." 

1769. Methodism first introduced into Pennsylvania. Chemistry first 

taught in America, by Dr. Rush. Anthracite coal first burned 
in a forge on the site of Wilkes Barre. The Transit of Venus 
observed at Philadelphia by Rittenhouse. 

1770. Carpenters' Hall, at Philadelphia, built; used by the First Con- 

tinental Congress in 1774. 

1771. The Medical Society of Philadelphia organized. 

1773. The first Methodist Conference in the United States held at 

Philadelphia. Steam suggested as motor power for land 
carriage, by Oliver Evans, of Philadelphia. 

1 774. The Friends abolished slavery among themselves. 

1775. Benjamin Franklin appointed by Congress postmaster-general^ 



318 HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

1776. First powder-mill in Pennsylvania erected near Chester. Law 

passed for establishing schools in every county. 

1777. United States flag adopted by congress; said to be first made by 

Betsy Ross, of Philadelphia. State-House bell and Christ 

Church bells taken to places of safety to preserve them from 

the British. 
1780. The Humane Society of Philadelphia founded; incorporated 1793. 
1782. The first manufacture of fustians and jeans in America, at Phila- 

delpliia. First edition of the Bible in English in America, 

printed by Robert Aitkin at Philadelphia. 

1784. The Philadelphia Museum founded, by Charles M. Peale. The 

first daily newspaper in the country issued at Philadelphia; 
pre\aously a weekly, — The Pennsylvania Packet or the General 
Advertiser. 

1785. John Fitch exhibited the model of a steam-boat; navigated one 

on the Delaware in 1786. The Philadelphia Agricultural 
Society founded, the first in the United States. 

1786. A Philadelphia directory issued, the first in the United States. 

The first mail between Philadelphia and Pittsburg. The 
Pittsburg Gazette issued, the first newspaper west of the Alle- 
ghanies. The western boundary of the State settled. An act 
passed to appropriate sixty thousand acres of land in aid of 
public schools. First American Dispensary estabhshed at 
Philadelphia by Dr. Benjamin Rush. 

1787. The College of Physicians at Philadelphia founded; chartered 

1789. Bishop White, the first Episcopal bishop in Penn- 
sylvania and the second in the United States, ordained in 
England. 

1789. First stage-coach line from Philadelphia to Reading. First 

Episcopal Convention in America held at Philadelphia. 

1790. Congress begins its sessions in Philadelphia. First manufacture 

of brooms from broom-corn. The Fitch steamboats make 
regular trips for four months between Philadelphia and 
Trenton. 

1791. First Sunday-school society in the United States founded in 

Philadelphia. First newspaper in Harrisburg, The Oracle of 
Dauphin. 

1792. The first turnpike road in the United States, from Philadelphia 

to Lancaster, begun; length, sixty-two miles; completed 1794. 
United States Mint established at Philadelphia; worked by 
horse power until 1815. The Schuylkill and Delaware Canal 
chartered, the first public canal in the United States. 

1793. Second inauguration of President Washington, in Independence 

Hall. 

1796. The first successful type-foundry in America established at Phila- 

delphia. First paper-mill west of the mountains built near 
Brownsville. 

1797. John Adams inaugurated President of the United States in Inde- 

pendence Hall. 

1798. The Schuylkill Permanent Bridge at Philadelphia begun; opened 

in 1805; the first of the kind in America. 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE 319 

1799. The State Legislature met at Lancaster; continued to meet thertf 

until 1810. 

1800. Seat of the national government removed from Philadelphia to 

Washington. 

1801. Philadelphia supplied with water from Centre Square; works 

operated by steam; log pipes used. Chamber of Commerce 
founded. Ground for United States Navy Yard purchased. 

1802. Law Library of Philadelphia estabHshed. Market street paved 

to Ninth, Chestnut street to Fifth street. Anthracite coal 
first burned in grates in Philadelphia, 

1803. Pennsylvania first called the Keystone State. 

1804. First stage between Chambersburg and Pittsburgh. First cotton 

spun in the United States by carding and spinning jinny, at 
Pittsburgh. First dredging machine in the United States, 
built by Oliver Evans at Philadelphia, was propelled over 
land 13^ miles to Schuylkill, the first land carriage by 
steam power. 

1805. The Academy of Fine Arts of Philadelphia founded; incorporated 

1806. First dry-goods commission house in the country 
opened at Philadelphia. 

1808. First newspaper. The Mirror, published in Erie. Philadelphia 

Bible Society, the first in America, founded. First flint glass 
made in the United States, at Pittsburgh. 

1809. Railroad worked by horse-power at Leiperville, Delaware County, 

rails made of wood. 

1810. The Treaty Tree at Kensington blown down. The first steam 

ferry-boat to Camden, and steamboats from Philadelphia to 
Chester and Bordentown, began running. Harrisburg made 
State capital. 

1811. The first steamboat on Western waters launched at Pittsburgh. 

1812. The first rolling-mill at Pittsburgh built. Water-works begun at 

Fairmount, Philadelphia; finished 1815. Academy of Natural 
Sciences founded ; incorporated 1816. 
1814. Philadelphia Orphan Society Asylum founded; incorporated 1816. 
Anthracite coal first burned successfully in a furnace, at 
Philadelphia. 

1816. Wire suspension bridge, first in the country, built over the Schuyl- 

kill at Philadelphia. First steam paper-mill in the United 
States, at Pittsburgh. 

1817. Bridge over the Susquehanna at Harrisburg finished. 

1818. Bridge over the Monongahela built at Pittsburgh. First steam- 

boat launched on Lake Erie. First light-house on the great 
lakes built at Presque Isle. Lehigh Canal begun; completed 
1838. 

1819. United States Bank building at Philadelphia begun; completed 

1824. First bridge built over the Alleghany at Pittsburgh. 
Apprentices' Library, Philadelphia, founded. Corner-stone of 
State Capitol at Harrisburg laid; building completed 1821. ^ 
1821. Deaf and Dumb Asylum founded in Philadelphia; building 
erected 1825. Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, the first in 
the country, established. 



320 HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

1822. State Legislature first met in the Capitol at Harrisburg. Mer- 

cantile Library of Philadelphia founded; chartered 1842. 
Grand Lodge of Odd-Fellows organized at Philadelphia. 
First American cylinders for printing calico engraved at Phila- 
delphia. 

1823. Eastern Penitentiary, Philadelphia, erected. The dam and water- 

works at Fairmount completed. 

1824. Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, incorporated. The American 

Sunday-School Union formed. 

1825. Schuylkill Navigation Canal completed; begun 1815. Historical 

Society of Pennsylvania founded at Philadelphia. Manufac- 
ture of queens ware begun, the first in the country. 

1826. Manufacture of school slates begun in Pennsylvania, near the 

Delaware River. 

1827. The Jefferson Medical College founded at Philadelphia. Corner- 

stone of the first lock of the Pennsylvania Canal laid at Harris- 
burg. Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the first in the 
United States, founded at Philadelphia. Mauch Chunk 
Railroad built; second iron track in the country. House of 
Refuge, Philadelphia, incorporated. Western Penitentiary, 
Pittsburg, completed. Paper first made from straw, at Mead- 
ville. 

1828. First periodical in the country devoted to women, The Ladies' 

Magazine, started at Philadelphia; united with Godey's Ladies' 
Book in 1837. 

1829. First run of a locomotive on an American railroad, on Carbondale 

and Honesdale Railroad. 
1829-32. United States Mint building erected at Philadelphia; new 
Mint building erected 1897-1900. 

1830. First penny paper in the coimtry. The Cent, issued at Philadelphia ; 

soon discontinued. 

1831. Stephen Girard died, the richest man in the country, worth 

about eight million dollars. First locomotive built at Baldwin 
Works. 

1832. The Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad finished ; 

the "Old Ironsides," the first effective locomotive in the State, 
used on it. Severe epidemic of cholera in Philadelphia. 

1833. The first National Temperance Convention held at Philadelphia. 

Corner-stone of Girard College laid; building opened January 1, 
1848. Institution for the Blind opened. 

1834. Common-school system of Pennsylvania established. First 

homoeopathic medical school in the world opened at Allen- 
town. Columbia line of canal and railroad opened to Pitts- 
burgh; operated by horse-power until 1836. 

1835. Manufacture of mineral teeth begun in Philadelphia about this 

time. 

1836. Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane built at Philadelphia; 

opened 1841. Philadelphia first lighted with gas February 10. 
1840. Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal completed; begun 1827. The city 

of Scranton founded. 
1842. New wire suspension bridge over the Schuylkill finished. 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE 321 

1846. The first telegraph Hnes in Pennsylvania built. 

1847. The zinc-mines of Lehigh County discovered. 

1849. State Lunatic Asylum built at Harrisburg. First women's 

medical college in the world established at Philadelphia. 

1850. Western House of Refuge chartered at Pittsburgh. School of 

Design for Women established at Philadelphia; first in the 
country. The first factory west of the Alleghanies for working 
copper and brass opened at Pittsburgh; first in the United States 
for working American copper. 

1852. Pennsylvania Training School for Feeble-Minded Children 

established at Germantown; removed to Elwyn 1859. Manu- 
facture of galvanized iron begun at Philadelphia; first in the 
country. 

1853. Zinc-works at Bethlehem started; first sheet zinc made there in 

1865. 

1854. Normal School at Philadelphia founded. 

1855. Corner-stone of Masonic Temple laid in Philadelphia; corner- 

stone of new Masonic Temple laid in 1868; building dedicated 
1873. Lemon Hill dedicated to the city as Fairmount Park, 
the first addition to the garden adjoining Fairmount Hill; 
Sedgeley purchased in 1856, Lansdowne in 1866; George's 
Hill donated in 1867; other purchases subsequently. The 
first Republican National Convention held at Philadelphia. 

1857. Normal School bill passed; first State normal school opened at 

Millersville, 1859. Academy of Music of Philadelphia com- 
pleted. _ 

1858. Introduction of the street railway system of Philadelphia begun; 

change from horse to electric power begun in 1892. 

1859. State Agricultural College opened in Centre County. Petroleum 

first obtained by boring at Titusville. 

1860. The business in petroleum begun; the wildest speculation ever 

known in the United States. 
1871. The Paid Fire Department of Philadelphia established. ^ The 

building of the City Hall begun, the largest municipal building 

in America and at that period the loftiest building in the 

world; corner-stone laid July 4, 1874. 
1874. Great inundation at Pittsburgh; about one hundred lives lost; 

immense destruction of property. 
1876. Centennial Exposition held at Philadelphia. 
1878. Cyclone at Philadelphia, October 23; more than four hundred 

buildings unroofed; more than one hundred injured and 

demohshed. 
1880. Committee of One Hundred formed to promote honest poUtics; 

disbanded 1886. 
1884. New Philadelphia Post-Office opened. 

1887. The amended city charter, known as the Bullitt Bill, in operation 

in Philadelphia. 

1888. The great storm, known as ''The Blizzard," began March 11. 

1889. Johnstown destroyed by a flood. 

1891. The Academy of Natural Sciences' expedition to North Green- 
land, under Lieutenant Peary, made important discoveries. 
Drexel Institute of Art^ Science, and Industry dedicated. 

21 



322 HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

1895. The Philadelphia Commercial Bourse opened. 

1897. The Commercial Section of the Philadelphia Museum opened; 

exercises attended by many foreign delegates. Strikers in 
the coal region fired on by sheriff's deputies; many killed and 
wounded. State Capitol burned at Harrisburg. Washington 
Monument erected at Philadelphia by the Society of the 
Cincinnati. 

1898. The National Guard of Pennsylvania called out by the national 

government to assist in the war with Spain. 

1899. The National Export Exposition and Commercial Congress held 

in the buildings erected for the Commercial Museum. 

1900. The National Repubhcan Convention for the nomination of 

candidates for President and Vice-President of the United 
States held at Philadelphia. 

1901. A new United States Mint building erected in Philadelphia. 

Work begun on the filtration system for supplying Philadel- 
phia with pure water. 
1903. A subway for electric cars under Market Street begun; to connect 
with elevated roads in West Philadelphia. 

1905. Great uprising of the people against corrupt party rule. 

1906. An extra session of the Legislature passed many reform bills. 

The new State Capitol completed. 

1907. A broad parkway from the City Hall to Fairmount Park begun 

in Philadelphia. Pittsburg and Alleghany consolidated into 
one city 

1908. The Philadelphia Market Street subway completed. 

1909. The filtration system completed and all of Philadelphia supplied 

with pure water. 
1911. The State Capitol adorned with artistic mural paintings and 
groups of statuary. A public aquarium opened in Pliiladelphia. 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE 



323 



COUNTIES AND COUNTY TOWNS IN PENNSYLVANIA. 



Counties, 



Chester .... 
Bucks .... 
Philadelphia . . 
Lancaster . . . 

York 

Cumberland . , 

Berks 

Northampton . 
Bedford .... 
Northumberland 
Westmoreland . 
Washington . , 
Fayette .... 
Franklin. . . . 
Montgomery . . 
Dauphin. . . . 
Luzerne .... 
Huntingdon . . 
Alleghany . . . 
Delaware , . . 
Mifflin . . . . 
Somerset . . . 
Lycoming . . . 
Greene .... 
Wayne .... 
Armstrong . . . 
Adams .... 

Butler 

Beaver . . . . 

Centre 

Crawford . . . 

Erie 

Mercer . . . . 
Venango. . . . 
Warren .... 
Indiana .... 
Jefferson. . . . 
McKean. . . . 

Potter 

Tioga 

Cambria. . . . 
Clearfield . . . 
Bradford . . . 
Susquehanna . . 
Schuylkill , . . 



When 
formed. 



1682 
1682 
1682 
1729 
1749 
1750 
1752 
1752 
1771 
1772 
1773 
1781 
1783 
1784 
1784 
1785 
1786 
1787 
1788 
1789 
1789 
1795 
1796 
1796 
1796 
1800 
1800 
1800 
1800 
1800 
1800 
1800 
1800 
1800 
1800 
1803 
1804 
1804 
1804 
1804 
1804 
1804 
1810 
1810 
1811 



County towns. 



West Chester 
Doylestown . 
Philadelphia 
Lancaster . . 
York .... 
Carlisle . . . 
Reading . , 
Easton . . . 
Bedford. . . 
Sunbury . . 
Greensburg . 
Washington . 
Uniontown . 
Chambersburg 
Norristown . 
Harrisburg . 
Wilkesbarrc . 
Huntingdon . 
Pittsburg . . 
Media . . . 
Lewistown . 
Somerset . . 
Williamsport 
Waynesburg 
Honesdale . . 
Kittanning . 
Gettysburg . 
Butler . . . 
Beaver . . . 
Bellefonte . . 
Meadville . 
Erie .... 
Mercer . . . 
Franklin . . 
Warren . . . 
Indiana . . . 
Brookville . , 
Smethport . 
Coudersport . 
Wellsborough 
Ebensburg . 
Clearfield . . 
Towanda . . 
Montrose . , 
Pottsville . . 



324 HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

COUNTIES IN PENNSYLVANIA {Continued). 



Counties. 



Lehigh . . 

Lebanon . . 

Columbia . 

Union . . 

Pike . . . 

Perry . . . 

Juniata . . 

Monroe . . 

Clarion . . 

Clinton . . 

Wyoming . 

Carbon . . 

Elk. . . . 

Blair . . . 

Sullivan . . 

Forest . . . 

Fulton. . . 

Lawrence . 

Montour . 

Snyder . . 

Cameron . 
Lackawanna 



When 
formed. 



1812 
1813 
1813 
1813 
1814 
1820 
1831 
1836 
1839 
1839 
1842 
1843 
1843 
1846 
1847 
1848 
1850 
1850 
1850 
1855 
1860 
1878 



County 



Allentown . . . 
Lebanon . , . 
Bloomsburg . . 
Lewisburg . , . 
Milford .... 
New Bloomfield 
Mifflintown . . 
Stroudsburg . . 
Clarion .... 
Lockhaven . . 
Tunkhannock . 
Mauch Chunk . 
Ridgway . . . 
Hollidaysburg . 
Laporte .... 
Tionesta . . . 
McConnellsburg 
Newcastle . . 
Danville. . . . 
Middleburg . . 
Emporium . . 
Scranton . . . 



When 
laid out. 



1751 
1750 
1802 
1785 
1800 
1822 
1791 
1806 
1840 
1833 
1790 
1815 
1843 
1820 
1850 
1852 
1796 
1802 
1790 
1800 
1861 
1840 



GOVERNORS OF THE SWEDISH AND DUTCH COLONIES ON 
THE DELAWARE, OF THE ENGLISH PROVINCE, AND 
OF THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



1638-41. Peter Minuit. 
1641-43. Peter Hollender. 
1643-53. John Printz. 



SWEDISH. 



1653-54. John Pappegoya. 
1654-55. John Claude Rysingh. 



DUTCH. 



1655-57. John Paul Jacquet. 

1657-59. Jacob Alrichs* (city). 

1659-63. Alexander d'Hinoyossa 
(city). 

1657-58. Goeran Van Dyck (com- 
pany). 



1658-63. William Beekman (com- 
pany). 
1663-64. Alexander d'Hinoyossa. t 



*Colony divided into city and company, 1657. 
fColony imited, 1663. 



GOVERNORS 



325 



ENGLISH. 

1664-67. Richard Nicholls. 1667-73. Francis Lovelace. 

DUTCH. 

1673-74. Peter Alrichs, 

Deputy Governor. 



ENGLISH. 



1674-81. Sir Edmund Andros. 



WILLIAM PENN, PROPRIETOR. 



1681-82. William Markham, 

Deputy Governor. 
1682-84. William Penn. 
1684-86. The Council (Thomas 
Lloyd, President). 
1686-88. Five Commissioners ap- 
pointed by Penn. 
1688-90. John Blackwell, 

Deputy Governor. 
1690-91. The Council (Thomas 
Lloyd, President) . 

1691-92. Thomas Lloyd, 

Deputy Governor. 
1693-95. Benjamin Fletcher, 

Royal Governor of New York. 



1695-99. William Markham (un- 
der restored proprie- 
torship), 

Deputy Governor. 
1699-1701. WiUiam Penn. 
1701-03. Andrew Hamilton. 

Lieutenant Governor. 
1703-04. The Council (Edward 

Shippen, President), 
1704-09. John Evans, 

Lieutenant Governor. 
1709-17. Charles Gookin, 

Lieutenant Goverrior. 
1717-18. Sir William Keith, 

Lieutenant Governor. 



JOHN, RICHARD, AND THOMAS PENN, PROPRIETORS. 

1718-26. Sir William Keith, 1736-38. The Council (James 

Lieutenant Governor. Logan, President). 

1726-36. Patrick Gordon, 1738-47. George Thomas, 

Lieutenant Governor. Lieutenant Governor. 



JOHN PENN D. 1746. RICHARD AND THOMAS, PROPRIETORS. 



1747-48. The Council (Anthony 
Palmer, President). 
1748-54. James Hamilton, 

Lieutenant Governor. 
1754-56. Robert H. Morris, 

Lieutenant Governor. 



1756-59. William Denny, 

Lieutenant Governor. 
1759-63. James Hamilton, 

Lieutenant Governor. 
1763-71. John Penn, son of 
Richard, 
Lieutenant Governor. 



RICHARD PENN D. 1771. JOHN AND THOMAS, PROPRIETORS. 

1771. The Council (James Hamil- 1773-76. John Penn, 

ton, President). 

1771-73. Richard Penn, brother 

of John, 
Lieutenant Governor. 



Lieutenant Governor. 



326 HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

UNDER FIRST STATE CONSTITUTION. 

177G-77. Committee of Safety 1781-82. William Moore, 

(Benjamin Franklin, President of Sup. Ex. Council. 

Chairman). 1782-85. John Dickinson, 

1777-78. Thomas Wharton, Jr., President of Sup. Ex. Council. 

President of Sup. Ex. Council. 1785-88. Benjamin Franklin, 

1778. George Bryan, vice Wharton President of Sup. Ex. Council. 

deceased. 1788-90. Thomas Mifflin, 

1778-81. Joseph Reed, President of Sup. Ex. Council. 
President of Sup. Ex. Council. 

UNDER CONSTITUTION OF 1790 

1790-99. Thomas Mifflin. 1820-23. Joseph Hiester. 

1799-1808. Thomas McKean. 1823-29. John A. Shulze. 

1808-17. Simon Snyder. 1829-35. George Wolfe. 

1817-20. William Findlay. 1835-39. Joseph Ritner. 

UNDER CONSTITUTION OF 1838. 

1839-45. David R. Porter. 1855-58. James Pollock. 

1845-48. Francis R. Shunk. 1858-61. William F. Packer. 

1848-52. William F. Johnston, 1861-67. Andrew G. Curtin. 

1852-55. William Bigler. 1867-73. John W. Geary. 

UNDER CONSTITUTION OF 1873. 

1873-79. John F. Hartranft. 1899-1903. William A. Stone. 

1879-83. Hemy M. Hoyt. 1903-1907. Samuel W. Penny- 
1883-87. Robert E. Pattison. packer. 

1887-91. James A. Beaver. 1907-1911. Edwin S. Stuart. 

1891-95. Robert E. Pattison. 1911—. John K. Tener. 
1895-99. Daniel H. Hastings. 



INDEX 



Abolition Society, Pennsylvania, 

226. 
Abolitionists, 244. 
Adams, President, 181. 
Allegheny City, 310. 
Allentown, 146, 187. 
Altoona, 190. 
American party, 239. 
Amusements, 143. 
Anti-Masonic party, 220, 221. 
Anti-slavery agitation, 226, 227, 

239, 240. 
Armstrong, Colonel, 80, 90. 
Arnold, Benedict, 132. 
Articles of Confederation, 166, 

167. 
Assembly of Pennsylvania, the, 

16, 37, 40, 42, 44, 51, 59, 78, 

82, 87, 113, 114, 117, 119, 170. 
Audobon's " Ornithology," 203. 
Austin flood, the, 302, 303. 
Averill, General, 271. 

B. 

Ballot reform, 290. 

Baltimore, claim of the Lords, 

102. 
Bank of North America, 103 ; 

of United States, 172, 199, 

208 225. 
Banks', State, 208, 234, 243. 
Barry, exploit of Commodore, 

128. 
Bartram, John, 153. 
Bartram, William, 154. 
Battle flags, 273. 
Beaver, Governor, 287, 289. 
Bethlehem, 144, 145, 157, 187. 
Biddle, James, 206. 
Bigler, Governor, 239. 
Blankenburg, Mayor, 304, 305. 
Blizzard of 1888, the, 287. 
Border contest, the, 54, 57, 58. 



Boundary question, the, 98, 
102-105. 

Bouquet, Colonel, 84, 85 ; expe- 
dition of, 90; Indians defeated 
by, 92; redoubt of, 93. 

Braddock, borough of, 190. 

Braddock, General, 76; expedi- 
tion and defeat of, 76, 77. 

Brandywine, battle of the, 121. 

Bridges, 197. 

Brown, Charles Brockden, 202. 

Brown, Jacob, 206. 

Brown, John, 244. 

Buchanan, President, 240, 251. 

Buckshot War, the, 229. 

Business, depression in, 208, 
243, 278. • 

Butler, 190. 



Cameron, J. Donald, 274. 

Cameron, Simon, 235, 274. 

Camp Curtin, 255. 

Canals, 173, 212-214, 222, 234, 
235, 236. 

Capital of Pennsylvania, 182. 

Capital of United States, 171. 

Capitol, State, burning of the, 
294; rebuilding of, 295; or- 
namenting of, 297; frauds in, 
298. 

Carlisle, 90, 147, 174, 182, 184, 
260, 261. 

Carpenters' Hall, 112. 

Catholics, attacks on the, 232, 
233. 

Cave dwellings at Philadelphia, 
12 ; final use of, 35. 

Cement, 247. 

Cemetery Ridge, 264. 

Centennial p]xposition, 280, 281. 

Chambersburg, 148, 185; raid 
on, 258, 260; burning of, 271. 

Charles 11., 9. 



11 



INDEX 



Charter, Penn's, 10. 

Chester, 5; naming of, 12; 
growth of, 186. 

Chew House, the, 124. 

Christ Church built, 24. 

Cities and populations, 312. 

City Hall, Philadelphia, 282. 

City planning, 302. 

Coal, discovery of, 140, 173, 189, 
190, 192, 311; anthracite, 
215, 216. 

Coal-miners' strikes, 278, 290, 
291, 298. 

Coal-mining towns, 192. 

Coatesville, 198. 

Colleges, Pennsylvania, 222. 

Colleges of State, 222. 

Columbia, 214; railroad, the, 
228. 

Commerce, colonial, 136; Phila- 
delphia, 199. 

Commercial Museums, 296. 

Committee of (Safety, 115, 117. 

" Common Sense,"' lvalue's, 116, 
156. 

Conestoga Massacre, the, 94; 
wagons, 138. 

Congress, the Continental, 112, 
113, 114, 120, 122, 133, 162. 

Congress, United States, 171. 

Congressional Halls, 171. 

Connecticut claim, the, 98, 101; 
settlement of the, 102. 

Conspiracy, the Pontiac, 87-93. 

Consolidation of Philadelphia, 
245. 

Constitution, Penn's, 37. 

Constitution, ratitication of the 
federal, 168; contest over, 169. 

Constitution of Pennsylvania, 
the, 117, 118, 170, 171, 230, 
276. 

Constitutional Convention, 
United States, 167 ; centen- 
nial celebration of, 284. 

Convention system of nomina- 
tion, 211. 

Continental Congress, First, 
112; Second, 114. 

Copper mines, 247. 



Council, the Pennsylvania, 18, 
33, 37, 51, 57; of safety, 117; 
of censors, 118, 

Counties, original, 15, 24. 

Crimes and penalties, 38. 

Criminal law, 51. 

Crown colony, proposed, 97. 

Cumberland Valley, the, 184. 

Curtin, Governor, 250, 252, 272, 
273. 



Darrach, Lydia, 126. 
Decatur, Stephen, 206. 
Declaration of Independence, 

116, 280. 
Defenders, the First, 254. 
Delaware, 15, 24; boundary of, 

102, 103. 
Delaware Indians, defrauding 

the, 63; banishment of the, 

64, 78, 80, 81; in Wyoming 

Valley, 100. 
Delaware River, settlers on the, 

2-5; defences of the, 115; 

battle on, 115; obstruction of, 

123; opening of, 125. 
Democracy, Pennsylvania, 195. 
Dennie, Joseph, 202. 
Denny, Governor, 81, 82. 
Dickinson, John, 97, 111, 155, 

163, 167. 
Dickinson College, 174, 185, 223. 
Dobbins, Captain, 203. 
Donop, Count, 125. 
Dunkers, the, 28. 
Dutch on the Delaware, the, 

2, 3 ; capture of New Sweden 

by, 4. 



Earlv's raid, 270. 

Easton, treaty at, 81, 87, 188. 

Education, 35, 149, 174, 222, 

245. 
Election riot, an, 00. 
Electrical exhibition, 285. 
Embargo Act, 207. 
English colonial theory, the, 108, 

109. 



INDEX 



lU 



Englisli- on the Delaware, the, 
5. 

Episcopalians, the, 24. 

Erie, City of, 184, 203. 

Erie canal, the, 213, 222. 

Evans, Governor, 41 ; follies of, 
42; interferes with com- 
merce, 43; dismissal of, 44. 

Evans, Oliver, 197. 

Executive departments, 294. 

Exposition, the Centennial, 280; 
the Columbian, 292. 



of, 155; final career of, 165. 

168, 308. 
Franklin College, 174. 
Free School System, the, 222, 

223, 224, 245. 
Fremont, John C, 240. 
French forces, the, 76. 
French forts, the, 71. 
Friends, the, 6, 19. 
Friends' Public School, 35, 148, 

223. 
Fries, John, 181. 



Farmer's Letters, the. 111, 155. 

Federalism, decline of, 195. 

Finances, State, 227, 234, 277. 

Findlay, Governor, 209, 211. 

Fine Arts, Academy of the, 309. 

Fire companies, riotous, 231. 

Fitch, John, 174. 

Fletcher, Governor, 36. 

Flower, Enoch, teacher, 19. 

Forbes, General, 84, 85. 

Ford, Philip, claim of, 23. 

Forest products, 312. 

Fort Duquesne, 72, 76, 80, 84, 
86. 

Fort Ligonier, 84, 91. 

Fort Mercer, attack on, 125; 
evacuation of, 126. 

Fort Mifflin, British capture of, 
125. 

Fort Necessity, 73. 

Fort Pitt, 86; siege of, 90; re- 
lief of, 92. 

Fox, George, 6. 

France, treaty with, 130. 

Franklin, Benjamin, comes to 
Philadelphia, 50; deceived by 
Keith, 50; returns from Lon- 
don, 54; public service of, 55; 
acts as colonel, 64 ; at Al- 
bany convention, 70; aids 
Braddock, 76; builds forts, 79; 
in England, 82-84, 98; deals 
with Paxton Boys, 95; in 
Congress, 114; postmaster 
general, 114; agent at Paris, 
126; institutions of, 151; dis- 
coveries in science, 152; books 



Gallatin, Albert, 179, 180. 

Garrett, Thomas, 241. 

Geary, Governor, 273, 276. 

German language, the, 237. 

German schools, 149. 

Germans, arrival of, 19, 27 ; in- 
dustries of the, 27 ; sects of, 
28; settlements of, 29; attacks 
on, 58; life among the, 143. 

Germantown, 19, 26, 95, 122, 
123; battle of, 124. 

Gettysburg, 185; first day's 
battle of, 263 ; second day's, 
266; third day's, 267, 268; 
cemetery at, 268; National 
Park at, 269. 

Girard, Stephen, 175; career of, 
199-201, 205, 237. 

Girard College, 201, 238. 

Godfrey, Thomas, 153. 

Gookin, Governor, 44. 

Gordon, Governor, 53; death of, 
57. 

Graham's magazine, 238. 

Grant, Major, 84. 

Great Law, Penn's, 16. 

Greens, the 114. 

H. 

Hamilton, Alexander, 172. 
Hamilton, Governor Andrew, 38. 
Hamilton, Governor James, 68 ; 

resigns, 74; reappointed, 87; 

replaced, 96. 
Hancock, General, 255, 264. 
Harris, John, 147. 



IV 



INDEX 



Harrisburg, founding of, 147 ; 

capital at, 182; growth of, 

185; in war, 2G0, 273, 293. 
Hartranft, Governor, 277, 281. 
Hastings, Governor, 293, 294. 
Hazleton, 190. 
Hibernia Hose Company, 232, 

233, 
Hiester, Joseph, 209; elected 

governor, 211. 
Homes, city of, 307. 
Homestead, 190; strike at, 290, 

291, 292. 
Hot Water Rebellion, the, 180. 
Houses, Philadelphia, 141, 143. 
Howe, project of General, 120; 

invades Pennsylvania, 121; 

occupies Philadelphia, 123; 

leaves Philadelphia, 130. 
Hoyt, Governor, 281, 283, 285. 
Huguenots, the, 30, 31. 



Ignorance in the State, 223. 

Immigrants, inflow of, 48, 209. 

Imprisonment for debt abolished, 
210. 

Independence declared, 116. 

Independence Hall, 56. 

Indians, Pennsylvania, 1; land 
sales by, 11, 18, 61, 63, 68; 
Penn's treaty with, 14; gift 
for Penn, 15 ; walking pur- 
chase with, 62 ; hostility of, 
78, 80, 81, treaties with", 81, 
87; defeat of, 92; raids by, 
93 ; Conestoga and Moravian, 
94; Cornplanter, 96; West- 
ern, 133, 134. 

Industries, early, 135, 198. 

Inns, coaching, 139. 

Internal improvements, 212. 

Iron, transportation of, 137 ; 
manufacture of, 139; industry 
in, 198; production of, 217. 

Iroquois Indians, the, 1, 63, 64, 
65, 68, 131. 

J. 

James II., 20. 

Jefl'erson, President, 195. 



Johnston, Governor, 23G, 239. 

Johnstown, 190. 

Johnstown flood, the, 287-289. 

K. 

Keith, Governor, 45; character 

of, 47 ; money bill of, 49 ; 

treatment of Franklin by, 50; 

disputes with the Counsel, 51; 

removal of, 53. 
Keystone State, the, 166. 
Know Nothing party, 239. 



L. 

Lafavette, General, 129. 
Lafayette College, 188. 
Lake Erie, border of, 106, 184; 

battle of, 204. 
Lancaster, 146, 182, 187, 198. 
Lancaster highway, the, 137. 
Lancaster mutiny, the, 162. 
Lancaster turnpike, the, 146, 

173, 196, 197. 
Laws, Penn's code of, 16; new 

code, 37. 
Lebanon, 188. 

Lee, General, 259, 262, 264; re- 
treat of, 268. 
Lee, Henry, 179. 
Lee, Richard Henry, 116. 
Legislature, corruption in the, 

276. 
Legislature of 1790, 170. 
Lehigh University, 187. 
Letitia House, the, 18, 308. 
Liberty bell, the, 5Q, 116, 292, 

293. 
License law, high, 286. 
Limestone, 247., 
Lincoln, Abraham, 249, 250; 

journey to Washington, 252, 

253. 
Liquor selling, 210. 
Literature in Philadelphia, li'4, 

238. 
Lloyd, David, 43. 
Lloyd, Thomas, 33. 
Locomotive, the first, 228. 
Log College, the, 149. 



INDEX 



Logan, James, 37, 38; conten- 
tion with Keith, 51, 52; act- 
ing governor, 57; death of, 
69; learning of, 155. 

Logan Square, Fair in, 257. 

Lotteries, 210. 

Lumber industry, the, 140, 141, 
191, 217. 

M. 

McCall, General, 255. 
McClellan, Governor, 255. 
McKean, Governor Thomas, 195, 

201. 
McKeesport, 190. 
McParlan, detective, 279. 
Madison, James, 1G7. 
Magazines, Philadelphia, 202, 

203. 
Markham, William, 11, 21, 36. 
Maryland border line, 54, 57 ; 

conllicts on, 58; survey of, 

104. 
Maryland claim, the, 102. 
Mason and Dixon line, 104, 105. 
Massacre of Wyoming, 131. 
Mauch Chunk, 173, 192. 
Meade, General, 255, 262, 264, 

268. 
Mennonites, the, 26. 
Mexican War, the, 236. 
Mey, Captain, 3. 
Mifflin, Governor Thomas, 170. 
Mineral wealth, 139, 140. 
Mining, coal, 216. 
Minisink district, the, 62. 
Minisink Indians, revenge of 

the, 78. 
Mint, the United States, 297. 
Minuit, Peter, 3. 
Mischianza, the, 128. 
Money, substitutes for, 39 ; is- 
sue of paper, 48. 
Moravian Indians, the, 94-96. 
Moravians, the, 28. 
Morgan, William, 220. 
Morris, Governor, 74; disputes 

of, with Assembly, 75, 81. 
Morris. Eobert, money raised 

by. 120; financial aid of, 163, 

180. 



Mott, Lucretia, 244. 
Mounted Police, the, 300. 
Muhlenberg, Henry M., 157. 
Muhlenberg, Peter, 158. 
Muhlenberg College, 187. 
Museums, Commercial, 296. 

N. 

National Guard, the, 279, 282, 

291, 297. 
Native American riots, the, 232, 

233. 
Natural Sciences, Academy of 

the, 309. 
Negroes, attacks on, 226, 232. 
New Castle, 4, 5, 12, 102, 103. 
Newcastle, 190. 
New Sweden, 4. 
Nickel mines, 247. 
Norristown, 186. 
Northumberland, 146. 



Oaths, the question of, 44. 
Oil City, 191. 
Oil wells, 246. 
Ord, General, 255. 

P. 

Pack-horse conveyance, 137. 

Paine, Thomas, 115, 203. 

Panic of 1857, 243; of 1873, 
278.. 

Paoli, massacre of, 123. 

Packer, Governor, 240, 250. 

Parkway, Philadelphia, 302. 

Pastorius, Francis D., 26, 28, 
156. 

Patterson, General, 229. 

Pattison, Governor, 285, 287, 
289. 

Pax ton Boys, tlie, 94, 95. 

Penn, Hannah, 46; removes 
Governor Keith, 52; dies, 56. 

Penn, John, 37, 57. 

Penn, Joiin, Governor, 96, 97, 
113. 

Penn, Richard, 82, 96; Gover- 
nor, 113, 114. 

Penn, Thomas, 56, 62, 82, 156. 



VI 



INDEX 



Penn, William, 8; land pur- 
chases of, 9, 10 ; in America, 
12; Indians met by, 14; do- 
main of, 15; builds a dwell- 
ing, 18; return to England, 
20; troubles of, 21; second 
visit, 21-23; in prison, 23; 
last years of, 24; in Ger- 
many, 26 ; second visit of, 37, 
39; death of, 45; will of, 40; 
children of, 46, 118; descend- 
ants of, 164, 282, 283, 305, 
306. 

Penn, William, Jr., 41. 

Pennamite and Yankee War, 
the, 101. 

Penns, the, defeated before Privy 
Council, 84; fight against 
equal taxation, 97; struggle 
for Wyoming Valley, 101; 
estates of the, 164. 

Pennsbury Mansion, the, 21. 

Penn's Landing, celebration of, 
283. 

Pennsylvania, Indians of, 1; 
naming of, 10 ; conditions in, 
33, 46 ; development of, 67 ; 
boundary question of, 103 ; 
invasion of, 121; in the colon- 
ial period, 135-144; colonial 
towns, 144-148; population at 
first census, 173 ; capitol of, 
182; in war of 1812, 203-206; 
growth in wealth, 212; in- 
vasion of, 249, 257, 260; sol- 
diers of, 272; exhibit at 
Chicago, 292; natural wealth 
of, 311, 312. 

Pennsylvania Dutch, the, 28, 
237. 

Pennsj^lvania Hall, burning oT, 
227. 

Pennsylvania Hospital, the, 151. 

Pennsylvania Railroad Co., 190, 
273. 

Pennsvlvania ReserA'es, the, 255, 
256.*^ 

Pennypacker, Governor, 299, 
300. 

Perry, Commodore, 204. 

Petroleum, discovery of, 190, 
246, 311. 



Philadelphia, founding of, 12; 
plan of, 13, 17; growth of, 23; 
made a city, 38; conditions 
in, 40 ; progress of, 67 ; 
threatened by Paxton Boys, 
95; military activity in, 114; 
events in, 116; panic in, 122; 
British in, 128; evacuation 
of, 130; condition after war, 
132; population, 135; ship- 
ping of, 137, 141; life in, 
141-143; noted men of, 152- 
156; mob-rule in, 161; na- 
tional capitol, 171, 172; loss 
of prominence, 181; yellow 
fever in, 175, 176; industries 
of, 198; literature in, 202; 
defences of, 205; in 1820, 
218; riots in, 226, 230; con- 
solidation of, 245; mass meet- 
ing in, 251; defences of, 260; 
reform in, 300 ; improvement 
of, 301; development of, 306, 
307; historic buildings of, 308; 
colonial institutions of, 308, 
309. 

Philadelphia and Germantown 
Railroad, the, 228. 

Philadelphia Library, the, 55, 
151, 308. 

Philo-sophical Society, the Amer- 
ican, 151, 308. 

Phoenixville, 198. 

Pickett's charge, 267, 268. 

Pietists, the, 28. 

Pirates, 36. 

Pittsburgh, 86 ; founding of, 148, 
176; danger of, 178; develop- 
ment of, 183, 184; district of 
190, 196, 204; growth of, 218; 
defences of, 260; graft at, 
303, 304; site of, 309, devel- 
opment of, 310; present state 
of, 311. 

Poe, Edgar Allen, 238. 

Political corruption, 235. 

Political leaders, 274, 289. 

Pollock, Governor, 240. 

Pontiac, conspiracy of, 87-93. 

Population, progress in, 135, 
173, 312. 

Portage Railroad, 214. 



INDEX 



Vll 



Porter, Governor, 229, 233, 

234, 236. 
Post, Frederick, 86. 
Postal routes, 35. 
Postmaster general, Franklin 

as, 114. 
Pottstown, 193. 
Pottsville, 190. 
Priestly, Joseph, 146, 154. 
Printing, 35. 

Prison, Walnut Street, 129. 
Prison reform, 210. 
Printz, Jolian, 4. 
Prohibition movement, the, 244, 

286. 
Prosperity, an era of, 172. 
Public works, condition of, 235; 

sale of, 236. 



Quaker Blues, the, 114. 

Quakers, doctrines of the, 6; 
treatment of, 7 ; in America, 
8, 9; opposition to, 38; end 
of . control, 79 -, favor crown 
colony, 97: decline of, 218. 

Quav, "Matthew Stanley, 289, 
299. 

Questions for examination, 32, 
66, 107, 160, 194, 219, 248, 
275, 313. 



Railroad, the first, 197. 

Kail roads, building of, 214, 

222, 227, 228. 
Railroad strike of 1877, 278. 
Railroads and Coal Mines, 279. 
Raystown, 84, 148. 
Read, Thomas Buchanan, 239. 
Reading, 187. 
Redemptioners, 48, 59. 
Reform legislation, 299; in 

Philadelphia, 300. 
Refreshment saloons, the, 257. 
Republican party, 240, 249, 274. 
Resources of Pennsylvania, 173. 
Revere, Paul, 112. 
Revolt of soldiers, 161, 162. 



Revolution, Pennsylvania in 

the, 108; end of, 161. 
Reyburn, Mayor, 301. 
Reynolds, General, 255; killed 

in battle, 263. 
Riot, acts of, 226, 230-234. 
Ritner, Governor, 221, 225, 229. 
Rittenhouse, David, 103, 106, 

117, 152. 
Roads, public, 137, 138, 212. 
Round Top, Little, 265, 266. 
Rush, Dr. Benjamin, 154, 176. 

s. 

Sauer, Christopher, 156. 
Schlatter, Michael, 157. 
Schools, 19, 35, 148-150, 174, 

222-225, 287. 
Schuykill rangers, 231. 
Schuylkill River, 12, 187. 
Schwenkfelders, the, 28. 
Scientists, Philadelphia, 152- 

154. 
Scotch-Irish, the, 29, 30, 68, 

176, 177. 
Scott, Colonel, 273. 
Scranton, 188. 

Settlers in Pennsvlvania, 13, 24. 
Shamokin, 146, 186. 
Shenandoah, 190. 
Ship building, 141. 
Shippen, Edward, Philadel- 
phia's first mayor, 38. 
Shop signs, 142. 
Shulze, Governor, 211. 
Shunk, Governor, 236. 
Sickles, General, 266. 
Slate, 247. 
Slavery in Pennsylvania, 164; 

law abolishing it, 165. 
Slaves, fugitive, 241, 242. 
Smith, Dr. William. 150. 
Snvder, Governor, 201, 208, 209. 
Soldiers, Pennsylvania, 236, 

254, 255, 272. 
Soldiers' orphans, 273. 
South Bethlehem, 187. 
Spanish war, Pennsylvania 

troops in the, 297. 
Staffe-coach travel. 138. 



viu 



INDEX 



Stamp act, the, 109; repeal of 

the, 110. 
State constabulary, 300. 
State House, Harrisburg, 182; 

burning of, 294; rebuilding 

of, 295; adornment of, 297; 

frauds in furnishing, 298. 
State-house, Philadelphia, 55, 

171, 308. 
State Library, the, 293. 
State prison system, 210. 
Steam travel, 'l97. 
Steamboats, 174, 197. 
Stephens, Thaddeus. 224. 
Stewart, Charles, 20G. 
Stone, Governor, 294. 
Stoves, 143. 
Strikes, season of, 278, 290, 291, 

298. 
Stuart, General, 257, 200, 268. 
Stuart, Governor, 301. 
Stuart's raid, 257, 258. 
Sullivan, General, 132. 
Sun Inn, the, 144. 
Sunbury, 146, 186. 
Superior Court, the, 294. 
Susquehanna, panic on the, 134. 
Susquehanna eompanv, the, 100, 

101. 
Swedes on the Delaware, the, 3. 
Swedes Church, old, 5. 



Tariff, a protective, 207. 
Taxation of the colonies, 109, 

110, 111. 
Taylor, Bayard, 238. 
Tea, tax on. 111. 

Tea ships at Philadelphia, the, 

111, 112. 

Teachers' Institute, the. 245. 

Tedyuscung, 81, 100, 187. 

Temperance legislation, 286. 

Temperance societies, 210. 

Tener, Governor, 304. 

Thomas, Governor, 59'-61, 64, 65. 

Travel, cost of, 197. 

Treaty Elm, the, 14. 

Treaty with the Indians. Penn's, 

14; at Easton, 81; with 

France, 130. 



Trenton, battle of, 120. 
Turnpike, Lancaster, 138. 
Turnpike roads, 196, 212. 

U. 

L'^nderground Railroad, the, 240- 

243. 
Union, need of strong, 166. 
University of Pennsylvania, 

origin of, 150, 174, 308. 
Upland, 5, 11, 12. 



Valley Forge, Washington's 
army at, 127. 

Virginia claim, the, 105; set- 
tlement of, 106. 

w. 

Wagons, the Conestoga, 138. 

Walking purchase, the, 18, 62- 
64. 

War with France, 64; with In- 
dians, 80; Revolutionary, 108, 
119, 134; of 1812, 204; civil, 
254-272. 

Warren, General, 266. 

Washington, George, 71 ; fights 
the French, 73; at Fort Ne- 
cessity, 74; aids Braddock, 
77, 85; commander in chief, 
114; retreat to Pennsylvania, 
119; at the BrandyAvine, 121; 
at Germantown, 124; at 
Whitemarsh, 126; at Valley 
Forge, 126, 127; at Mon- 
mouth, 131; at Yorktown, 
134, 163, 167; first president, 
171, 172, 179. 

Washington, city of, 171; bor- 
ough "of, 184. 

Washington and Jefferson Col- 
lege, 175, 184. 

Washington Monument, 295. 

Wayne, Anthony, 123, 159, 162. 

Weaver, Mayor,' 300. 

Welcome, the good ship, 12. 

Welsh, arrival of the, 19, 25. 

Welsh tract, the, 25. 

West, Benjamin, 154. 



INDEX 



IX 



West Chester, 18G. 

Whisky war, the, 176; sup- 
pression of, 179. 

Wilkes-Barre, 187, 190. 

William III., 21. 

Williamson, Passmore, 242. 

Williamsport, 191. 

Wilmot, David, 240. 

Wilson, Alexander, 203. 

Witchcraft, trial, 18. 

Wolf, Governor, 221, 222, 223, 
224 225 228. 

Wrightstown, 182. 

Wyoming, massacre of, 131, 187. 



necticnt settlement in, 100; 
an Indian massacre, 100; war 
in, 101; close of contest, 102, 
187. 

Y. 

Yellow fever, epidemic of, 175, 

176. 
York, 146, 186, 262. 
York, duke of, 8. 
Yorktown, 134. 



Z. 



Zinc mine, 247. 



Wyoming Valley, the, 98; Con- Zinzendorf, Count, 156. 



JUL 9 191S 



1^' LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




